Rural Health
Top Stories
Top news stories from the past 60 days. For more, see news by topic or news by state.
Jan 22, 2025 - Summarizes recent research finding that rural areas have a shortage of ophthalmic surgeons despite a higher need for ophthalmic surgery for rural residents. Discusses trends in access to eye surgeons and specialists between 2012 and 2022 and regional access disparities.
Source: HealthDay News
Jan 21, 2025 - Request for comments on a draft of the Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit. The document offers guidance and resources to plan, implement, and maintain mobile crisis teams supporting mental health and substance use-related behavioral health crises and includes rural-specific considerations. Comments are accepted through March 21, 2025.
Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Jan 21, 2025 - Announces a new Rural Oral Health Seminar Toolkit and a renewed partnership between the National Rural Health Association and CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. Includes a call for submissions for the 2025 Compendium of Oral Health Best Practices, a resources that will showcase programs and initiatives focused on rural oral health quality and access. Submissions are due March 31, 2025.
Source: National Rural Health Association
Jan 17, 2025 - Interviews an administrator at the Blandin Foundation, a rural-based and rural-serving private foundation in Minnesota. Discusses the culture of rural, challenges with grant writing for rural communities, community engagement, and goals for the future.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Jan 15, 2025 - Announces the final policy and funding initiatives from the Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Funded work will sustain the work of the year long initiative and also develop recommendations for preventing cardiovascular conditions in women. Includes a report on the work of the committee and highlights work throughout 2024 including rural health initiatives.
Source: Human Resources and Services Administration
Jan 14, 2025 - Announces new federal funding to extend open hours for Federally Qualified Health Centers. Notes the benefit for rural and other underserved communities in expanding access to care.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Jan 13, 2025 - Announces a volunteer opportunity for tribal government leaders, tribally designated housing entities, or other Native housing organizations to work on a certification examination in connection with the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) program or Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) program.
Source: HUD's Southwest Office of Native American Programs
Jan 10, 2025 - Analyzes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data to discuss alcohol habits by region and rurality. Notes the challenges with measuring alcohol habits in surveys relying on self-reported health measures.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Jan 6, 2025 - Describes challenges with access to hospice services for rural families based on recent research. Discusses recent hospice closures, caregiver burnout, quality of care, and communication preferences.
Source: Hospice News
Jan 3, 2025 - Describes how a temporary extension of telehealth rules impacts rural healthcare providers. Discusses quality of care concerns, benefits for rural residents, and broadband investments.
Source: Public News Service
Jan 3, 2025 - Describes the economic and workforce impacts of widespread childcare shortages and efforts by state lawmakers to support providers. Highlights legislative efforts to support growth in rural child care capacity, including a Nebraska grant program that supports the provision of child care services in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Source: Stateline
Dec 30, 2024 - Describes the findings of new research on hospital obstetric units published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Notes that, between 2010 and 2022, a greater proportion of rural hospitals lacked obstetric services compared to urban hospitals. Discusses the wide-ranging health implications for rural mothers and babies, and provides an overview of proposed federal legislation to address the issue.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Dec 24, 2024 - Profiles a mobile clinic offering maternal healthcare to women who struggle with access in rural Eastern Kentucky, noting the maternal health disparities in the area. Discusses the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant funding the program and sustainability plans.
Source: Kentucky Lantern
Dec 24, 2024 - Interviews the director of a new project offering a dashboard of Indigenous health research. Describes how the project involves tribal communities, can impact Indigenous health disparities, future plans, and more.
Source: Native News Online
Dec 22, 2024 - Features harm reduction efforts by the Choctaw Nation in rural Oklahoma, funded through an Indian Health Service Community Opioid Intervention Pilot Project grant. Describes the implementation of a multi-pronged approach including street-level naloxone distribution and training, expanded availability of medication-assisted treatment, and support for culturally-relevant recovery services.
Source: Native News Online
Dec 21, 2024 - Describes rising numbers of cardiovascular disease-related deaths among rural working-age adults. Explores a variety of factors contributing to rural-urban cardiovascular disparities, including elevated rates of opioid use and limited health care access in many rural communities. Discusses efforts by a research network to develop rural-specific solutions to increase access to cardiovascular care.
Source: NBC News
Dec 20, 2024 - Announces the release of a new U.S.-Mexico border region health framework created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Global Affairs. Highlights features of the publication including health data assessment, identification of priority issues, and strategic recommendations for governmental and community-based stakeholders.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Dec 19, 2024 - Reports on physician shortages in rural communities and efforts to reduce those shortages through practice incentives. Discusses remaining barriers including funding for rural residencies, the amount of time necessary to launch a rural residency, and patient density for specialists.
Source: Medscape Medical News
Dec 19, 2024 - Reports on trends in maternal health and mortality in Arizona and drivers of poor outcomes such as limited mental health training for providers, mental health workforce shortages, and stigma. Discusses rural-specific challenges in accessing care like transportation, labor and delivery service access, broadband, and low provider reimbursement rates for care.
Source: Tuscon Sentinel
Dec 17, 2024 - Announces a new round of funding for the Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program, a Health Resources and Services Administration program aiming to increase access to healthcare for rural communities. Describes how previous funding has been used in rural Pennsylvania.
Source: The Center Square
Related funding:
Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program
Dec 17, 2024 - Describes a forensics training to teach healthcare professionals how to provide care to patients that have experienced sexual violence. Notes that rural communities with limited access to the state's sexual assault response team benefit from trained healthcare workers. Discusses the value in healthcare worker documentation of signs of abuse in patients.
Source: Alaska Public Media
Dec 15, 2024 - Explores the impacts of behavioral health provider shortages on rural communities in the northwest. Notes that immigrants may face additional challenges finding care due to language barriers and some providers not accepting Medicaid. Describes strategies to increase access to behavioral health providers, including telehealth, increased reimbursement for services, and workforce programs.
Source: Northwest News Network
Dec 13, 2024 - Announces a major update to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Mapping Broadband Health in America platform. Notes that the tool can be used to analyze data at the intersection of broadband connectivity and a range of public health challenges, now including maternal morbidity and mortality.
Source: Federal Communications Commission
Dec 13, 2024 - Highlights a free mobile clinic in rural Arizona making routine healthcare more accessible to farmworkers in the area. Discusses effective outreach methods including collaborations with the farm supervisors and using promotoras.
Source: Arizona Luminaria
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