Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Veterans Community Care Program: VA Should Strengthen Its Ability to Identify Ineligible Health Care Providers
Examines the extent to which vulnerabilities in Veterans Community Care Program eligibility requirements contribute to potentially ineligible providers participating in the program. Offers recommendations to the Veterans Administration to enhance provider eligibility controls and oversight.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Hawaii 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment
Reports on Hawaii's triennial community health needs assessment. Addresses access to healthcare, transportation challenges, healthy food access, cultural competency, social determinants of health, current health status, and more. Discusses impact of COVID-19 on the community. Includes discussions of rural-specific challenges and perspectives from Native Hawaiians.
Additional links: Addendum to the 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment: Additional Tracking of Secondary Data
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Healthcare Association of Hawaii
view details
2022-2027 Illinois Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan
Provides an overview of the cancer burden in Illinois as well as strategies to improve screening, treatment, and survivorship. Discusses geographic disparities related to healthcare access and provides county-level data on cancer rates and social determinants of health. Includes a section specific to issues of rural health and cancer control.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Department of Public Health
view details
The Lives of Native Hawaiian Elders and Their Experiences With Healthcare: A Qualitative Analysis
Highlights a 5-year study on the experiences of Native Hawaiian elders have had accessing quality healthcare. Discusses barriers to healthcare for Native Hawaiian elders, including those residing in rural areas.
Author(s): Keilyn Leina'ala Kawakami, Shelley Muneoka, Rachel L. Burrage, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
view details
Teledentistry Helps Provide the Right Care at the Right Time
Presents a report on the best uses of teledentistry. Discusses the use of teledentistry for dental triage, follow-up care, and in place of in-person visits for patients with less access to care, such as those in rural areas.
Author(s): Lisa J. Heaton, Madhuli Thakkar-Samtani, Caroline D. McLeod, Eric P. Tranby
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
view details
Rural Health Clinics
Policy position paper providing an overview of Rural Health Clinics. Offers policy recommendations regarding access to care, RHC reimbursement, and programmatic updates.
Author(s): Kelly Braun, Trent Bourland
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
Mental Health in Rural Areas
Policy position paper focused on mental health in rural areas. Discusses barriers and policy recommendations regarding the availability, access, and acceptability of mental health care in rural communities.
Author(s): Brenda Mack, Heather Whetsell, Janessa M. Graves
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
Providing Health Literate Virtual Health Services: Proceedings of a Workshop-in Brief
Summarizes 3 presentations and a panel discussion from a virtual public workshop held on September 23, 2021, by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Roundtable on Health Literacy, covering health-literate telehealth services. Discusses challenges and potential for health literate telehealth, access and equity, and resources available through the HRSA Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT).
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Population Health
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
view details
2021 FTA Section 5310 Compendium
Provides an overview of the Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program, which is designed to support the specialized transportation needs of older adults and people with disabilities. Discusses the role of Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) using Section 5310 funding to develop and manage accessible transportation programs. Includes case studies and examples of how AAAs used Section 5310 funding, including programs serving rural residents.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
view details
Aging and Disability Services are Unequally Distributed Across the United States
Results of a study examining how the availability of aging and disability services (ADS) differs based on county characteristics. Includes a U.S. map showing locations of ADS deserts and features statistics on the probability of a county being an ADS desert, with breakdowns by metro, rural adjacent, and rural nonadjacent location.
Author(s): Claire Pendergrast, Danielle Rhubart
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion
view details