Bill Moats has been elected to the position of president of the Rural Health Association of Tennessee for 2011.

“The challenges ahead in health care are monumental. These challenges are multiplied for rural areas. Leadership will be a key in facing these challenges and it is my goal as president to work effectively at managing this environment of change for members of the Rural Health Association of Tennessee.”

Moats is president and chief executive officer of Ocoee Regional Health Corporation, located in Southeast Tennessee.

ORHC is an organization of six community health centers serving the rural areas around Chattanooga. It is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Moats has served as CEO since 1991, expanding primary health care services from two federally qualified health centers to a total of six.

A member of the Tennessee Primary Care Association, Moats served as president in 1999 and has been active on the legislative and executive committees.

He holds membership in the National Association of Community Health Centers, National Rural Health Association and Community Health Network.

He has served on the Polk County Health Council and is president of the Southeast Regional Health Council.

He has a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, a master’s of education and a specialist in education degree from Middle Tennessee State University.

Moats has been a member of the Rural Health Association of Tennessee since it began in 1995, serving on the membership and conference committees. He has been on the board of directors since 2009.

The Rural Health Association of Tennessee is a nonprofit organization of more than 1,000 members whose mission is to improve the health of rural Tennesseans by providing leadership on rural issues through advocacy, communication, education and legislation.