Washington County Hospital and Clinics (WCHC) was recently recognized as one of the Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). Utilizing data from the Chartis Center for Rural Health, NRHA evaluates hospitals based on eight essential pillars of excellence: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and finance. Critical access hospitals play a vital role in healthcare delivery, particularly in rural areas, where access to medical services may be limited. WCHC is one of  1,366 critical access hospitals nationwide,  80 of those in Iowa. An awards ceremony commemorating this achievement will be held during the NRHAs Critical Access Hospital Conference in September in Kansas City, Missouri.