Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services
Co-Creating and Disseminating Substance Use and Vaping Educational Videos, Question Prompt Lists, and Other Resources in Partnership with Community Organizations and Youth in Western North Carolina
Describes the development of and evaluates the social media reach of a youth empowerment program addressing substance use in rural North Carolina. Discusses the inclusion of youth in the development process.
Author(s): Betsy Sleath, Abena A. Adjei, Jeremy Lowery, et al.
Citation: PEC Innovation, 7
Date: 12/2025
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Describes the development of and evaluates the social media reach of a youth empowerment program addressing substance use in rural North Carolina. Discusses the inclusion of youth in the development process.
Author(s): Betsy Sleath, Abena A. Adjei, Jeremy Lowery, et al.
Citation: PEC Innovation, 7
Date: 12/2025
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Poor Mental Health Days and Depression by Farming Occupation and Sociodemographic Factors: BRFSS 2019 Data from 13 States
Analyzes 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey sociodemographic data from 13 states to compare poor mental health days and depression diagnosis between farmers and non-farmers. Discusses study findings in light of disproportionate suicide rates for people in farming occupations.
Author(s): Jeanne M. Ward, John R. Blosnich
Citation: Journal of Agromedicine, 2025
Date: 11/2025
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Analyzes 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey sociodemographic data from 13 states to compare poor mental health days and depression diagnosis between farmers and non-farmers. Discusses study findings in light of disproportionate suicide rates for people in farming occupations.
Author(s): Jeanne M. Ward, John R. Blosnich
Citation: Journal of Agromedicine, 2025
Date: 11/2025
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Rural-Urban Differences in Post-9/11 Women Veterans' Firearm Ownership and Characteristics
Compares rural and urban firearm ownership, firearm characteristics, firearm safety practices, and other related characteristics among 525 women veterans with at least one post-9/11 deployment. Discusses assessment of firearm ownership and access as a component of suicide prevention for veterans.
Author(s): Ashley M. Griffith, Christin Miller, Nicole M. Caulfield, et al.
Citation: Injury Epidemiology, 12, 73
Date: 11/2025
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Compares rural and urban firearm ownership, firearm characteristics, firearm safety practices, and other related characteristics among 525 women veterans with at least one post-9/11 deployment. Discusses assessment of firearm ownership and access as a component of suicide prevention for veterans.
Author(s): Ashley M. Griffith, Christin Miller, Nicole M. Caulfield, et al.
Citation: Injury Epidemiology, 12, 73
Date: 11/2025
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Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation for Rural Providers, with Kevin Biese and Natalie Elder
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Kevin Biese, MD, Chair of the Board of the American College of Emergency Physicians Geriatric Emergency Accreditation program, and Natalie Elder, MD, Director of Geriatric Emergency Medicine for the University of Vermont Health Network. Focuses on the Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation and the standards of rural geriatric care that it ensures.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Kevin Biese, MD, Chair of the Board of the American College of Emergency Physicians Geriatric Emergency Accreditation program, and Natalie Elder, MD, Director of Geriatric Emergency Medicine for the University of Vermont Health Network. Focuses on the Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation and the standards of rural geriatric care that it ensures.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Positive Outliers: How Some Rural Communities Maintain Access to Labor and Delivery Services
Explores healthcare providers' approaches to ensuring maternal care access in rural Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Mississippi. Provides case studies on the role of rural hospitals and clinics in providing labor and delivery services, discusses financial and logistical challenges faced by providers, and details funding, policy, and service delivery strategies supporting continued access.
Author(s): Sarah Klein, Molly Castle Work
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Bassett Research Institute, Commonwealth Fund
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Explores healthcare providers' approaches to ensuring maternal care access in rural Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Mississippi. Provides case studies on the role of rural hospitals and clinics in providing labor and delivery services, discusses financial and logistical challenges faced by providers, and details funding, policy, and service delivery strategies supporting continued access.
Author(s): Sarah Klein, Molly Castle Work
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Bassett Research Institute, Commonwealth Fund
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Nurse-Directed Coordination of Cancer Survivorship Care in a Tribal Primary Care Clinic
Examines the feasibility of a nurse cancer care coordinator intervention focused on improving cancer care at a tribally-operated primary care clinic in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Provides data on survivorship care plans, cancer-related distress, time spent on coordination activities, and other aspects of program implementation via a trial utilizing data of 23 American Indian intervention participants.
Author(s): Amber S. Anderson-Buettner, Kathleen A. Dwyer, Zsolt J. Nagykaldi, et al.
Citation: BMC Primary Care, 26, 334
Date: 10/2025
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Examines the feasibility of a nurse cancer care coordinator intervention focused on improving cancer care at a tribally-operated primary care clinic in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Provides data on survivorship care plans, cancer-related distress, time spent on coordination activities, and other aspects of program implementation via a trial utilizing data of 23 American Indian intervention participants.
Author(s): Amber S. Anderson-Buettner, Kathleen A. Dwyer, Zsolt J. Nagykaldi, et al.
Citation: BMC Primary Care, 26, 334
Date: 10/2025
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2010-2023 County-Level Hospital-Based Obstetric Care Status
County-level dataset containing the county Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, county, state, and indicator of whether each county had hospital-based obstetrics care in years 2010-2023. Available for download as an XLS file.
Author(s): Julia D. Interrante, Emily C. Sheffield, Kevan O'Hanlon, Katy Kozhimannil
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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County-level dataset containing the county Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, county, state, and indicator of whether each county had hospital-based obstetrics care in years 2010-2023. Available for download as an XLS file.
Author(s): Julia D. Interrante, Emily C. Sheffield, Kevan O'Hanlon, Katy Kozhimannil
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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An Enhanced Method for Identifying Hospital-Based Obstetric Unit Status, Version 2 with Addendum
Results of a study using data from American Hospital Association annual surveys from 2010-2018 to conduct single- and multi-year assessments of obstetric unit status and to identify closures of obstetric units. Compares results obtained through the enhanced method with results of a survey sample of rural hospitals with obstetric units open at the time of the assessment and those with recently closed units. Addendum describes methodology updates since a previously published January 2022 report as well as additional findings using 2010-2023 data.
Additional links: An Enhanced Method for Identifying Hospital-Based Obstetric Unit Status (Version 1, 2022)
Author(s): Julia D. Interrante, Caitlin Carroll, Emily C. Sheffield, et al.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Results of a study using data from American Hospital Association annual surveys from 2010-2018 to conduct single- and multi-year assessments of obstetric unit status and to identify closures of obstetric units. Compares results obtained through the enhanced method with results of a survey sample of rural hospitals with obstetric units open at the time of the assessment and those with recently closed units. Addendum describes methodology updates since a previously published January 2022 report as well as additional findings using 2010-2023 data.
Additional links: An Enhanced Method for Identifying Hospital-Based Obstetric Unit Status (Version 1, 2022)
Author(s): Julia D. Interrante, Caitlin Carroll, Emily C. Sheffield, et al.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule (CMS-1832-F)
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and other Medicare Part B issues for calendar year 2026. Summarizes provisions related to telehealth services; improving care for chronic illness and behavioral health needs; Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) care coordination services, services requiring direct supervision, and telecommunication services; and more.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and other Medicare Part B issues for calendar year 2026. Summarizes provisions related to telehealth services; improving care for chronic illness and behavioral health needs; Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) care coordination services, services requiring direct supervision, and telecommunication services; and more.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Greater Physician Supply Associated with Lower Mortality in Rural Counties: A 23-Year County-Level Longitudinal Observational Study
Examines the relationship between increasing the primary care physician supply in rural areas and corresponding mortality rates. Provides data from a study conducted between 1992-2014 and analyzes rural versus urban trends in mortality rates and physician supply. Discusses rural healthcare practitioner workforce needs, rural versus urban healthcare disparities, and access to care.
Author(s): Nasim B. Ferdows, Cyrus Kosar, Orestis Panagiotou, Momotazur Rahman
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 62
Date: 10/2025
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Examines the relationship between increasing the primary care physician supply in rural areas and corresponding mortality rates. Provides data from a study conducted between 1992-2014 and analyzes rural versus urban trends in mortality rates and physician supply. Discusses rural healthcare practitioner workforce needs, rural versus urban healthcare disparities, and access to care.
Author(s): Nasim B. Ferdows, Cyrus Kosar, Orestis Panagiotou, Momotazur Rahman
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 62
Date: 10/2025
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