Rural Health
Resources by Topic: COVID-19
Fourteen of Thirty Selected Indian Health Service and Rural Providers Did Not Comply or May Not Have Complied With Terms and Conditions and Federal Requirements for Expending Provider Relief Fund Payments
Examines whether 30 selected Indian Health Service (IHS) and rural providers that received Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments spent funds in accordance with Federal and program requirements. Describes unallowable and potentially unallowable expenditures and inaccurately calculated or unsupported lost revenues and their causes. Presents recommendations for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and HRSA's response.
Additional links: Report Highlights
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Examines whether 30 selected Indian Health Service (IHS) and rural providers that received Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments spent funds in accordance with Federal and program requirements. Describes unallowable and potentially unallowable expenditures and inaccurately calculated or unsupported lost revenues and their causes. Presents recommendations for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and HRSA's response.
Additional links: Report Highlights
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Rural-Urban Differences in Dental Care Utilization After a Public Health Emergency
Explores COVID-19-specific impacts on dental care access and utilization among rural and urban populations. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by rural and urban status.
Author(s): Quazi Minhaz Tabassum, Redwan Bin Abdul Baten, Ahmed A. Arif
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Explores COVID-19-specific impacts on dental care access and utilization among rural and urban populations. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by rural and urban status.
Author(s): Quazi Minhaz Tabassum, Redwan Bin Abdul Baten, Ahmed A. Arif
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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COVID-19 Antiviral Prescription Receipt Among Outpatients Aged ≥65 Years — United States, June 1, 2023–September 30, 2025
Reports on factors associated with receiving an antiviral prescription among adults aged 65 years or older diagnosed with COVID-19 in an outpatient setting. Includes data for urban and rural locations.
Author(s): Julia Raykin, Ilia Rochin, Ryan Wiegand, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 75(6), 69-76
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Reports on factors associated with receiving an antiviral prescription among adults aged 65 years or older diagnosed with COVID-19 in an outpatient setting. Includes data for urban and rural locations.
Author(s): Julia Raykin, Ilia Rochin, Ryan Wiegand, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 75(6), 69-76
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Survival of Patients Diagnosed With Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines survival rates of cancer patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, using 2015-2021 SEER-21 database data. Includes rural-urban breakdowns, among other demographic and clinical data comparisons.
Author(s): Todd Burus, Haluk Damgacioglu, Bin Huang, et al.
Citation: JAMA Oncology
Date: 02/2026
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Examines survival rates of cancer patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, using 2015-2021 SEER-21 database data. Includes rural-urban breakdowns, among other demographic and clinical data comparisons.
Author(s): Todd Burus, Haluk Damgacioglu, Bin Huang, et al.
Citation: JAMA Oncology
Date: 02/2026
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Telemedicine Utilization and Preventive Services Among a Rural Population
Compares 2,012,290 rural adults who used telemedicine between January 2019 and December 2023 to identify associations with subsequent preventive service use. Notes the potential impact of study findings on increasing preventive care utilization for rural residents. Discusses the impacts of COVID-19 and other demographic and health status factors on the data.
Author(s): Daniel Cullen, April M. Falconi, Carrie Levin, Geoffrey Crawford, Sarah Adkins Svoboda
Citation: The American Journal of Managed Care, 32(1)
Date: 01/2026
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Compares 2,012,290 rural adults who used telemedicine between January 2019 and December 2023 to identify associations with subsequent preventive service use. Notes the potential impact of study findings on increasing preventive care utilization for rural residents. Discusses the impacts of COVID-19 and other demographic and health status factors on the data.
Author(s): Daniel Cullen, April M. Falconi, Carrie Levin, Geoffrey Crawford, Sarah Adkins Svoboda
Citation: The American Journal of Managed Care, 32(1)
Date: 01/2026
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Learning Modalities During COVID-19 and Adolescent Mental Health in North Carolina
Examines virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning modalities and their impact on adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes mental health emergency department (ED) visits in North Carolina alongside county-level information on learning modalities used over time. Provides rural versus urban data on impacts of learning modality on mental health.
Author(s): Justin Cole Gilbert, Martie P. Thompson, Sophia Ryan, Manan Roy
Citation: Journal of School Health, 96(1), e70093
Date: 01/2026
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Examines virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning modalities and their impact on adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes mental health emergency department (ED) visits in North Carolina alongside county-level information on learning modalities used over time. Provides rural versus urban data on impacts of learning modality on mental health.
Author(s): Justin Cole Gilbert, Martie P. Thompson, Sophia Ryan, Manan Roy
Citation: Journal of School Health, 96(1), e70093
Date: 01/2026
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2024 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Provides a comprehensive summary and data analysis of healthcare quality and access in the U.S. Addresses access to healthcare, care affordability, healthy living, effective treatment, person-centered care, care coordination, and more.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Provides a comprehensive summary and data analysis of healthcare quality and access in the U.S. Addresses access to healthcare, care affordability, healthy living, effective treatment, person-centered care, care coordination, and more.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Changes in Bed-Based Measures of Surge Capacity from 2018 to 2022 among Rural and Urban Hospitals
Policy brief describing how hospitals' inpatient capacity changed from 2018-2022 and examining trade-offs between cost-saving reductions and emergency preparedness. Features statistics on hospitals' average daily census (ADC) and number and percentage of unoccupied beds, with breakdowns by year and urban or rural location.
Author(s): Emma Kerr, Tyler Malone, Mark Holmes
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Policy brief describing how hospitals' inpatient capacity changed from 2018-2022 and examining trade-offs between cost-saving reductions and emergency preparedness. Features statistics on hospitals' average daily census (ADC) and number and percentage of unoccupied beds, with breakdowns by year and urban or rural location.
Author(s): Emma Kerr, Tyler Malone, Mark Holmes
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Did the Rural Health Infrastructure Break Down During the Pandemic? Evidence from the 2020 Meatpacking Plant COVID-19 Outbreaks
A webinar recording that discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural health infrastructure in Minnesota and South Dakota. Focuses on outbreaks experienced in meatpacking plants and subsequent impacts on surrounding rural communities. Transcript available below description.
Author(s): Thomas P. Krumel
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
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A webinar recording that discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural health infrastructure in Minnesota and South Dakota. Focuses on outbreaks experienced in meatpacking plants and subsequent impacts on surrounding rural communities. Transcript available below description.
Author(s): Thomas P. Krumel
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
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Early Adoption of Telehealth/Remote Patient Monitoring and Hospital Revenue Changes During COVID-19
Evaluates telehealth and remote patient monitoring use between 2019 and 2020 among 1,742 rural and urban hospitals to determine the impact of COVID-19 on utilization and revenue. Discusses potential policy measures given study findings.
Author(s): Claudia A. Rhoades, Brian E. Whitacre, Alison F. Davis
Citation: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 31(10)
Date: 12/2025
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Evaluates telehealth and remote patient monitoring use between 2019 and 2020 among 1,742 rural and urban hospitals to determine the impact of COVID-19 on utilization and revenue. Discusses potential policy measures given study findings.
Author(s): Claudia A. Rhoades, Brian E. Whitacre, Alison F. Davis
Citation: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 31(10)
Date: 12/2025
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