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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Networking and collaboration

Lessons From Rural Communities: Five Tips for Community-Based Organizations Engaging in Research
Offers 5 considerations for community-based organizations conducting research in rural communities, discussing building networks, considering community needs, centering local knowledge and experiences, measured metrics, and sustainability.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: NIH Community Engagement Alliance
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Aging Well in Rural America: Partnerships, Policy, and Progress
Podcast episode describing the beginnings of and next steps for the National Rural Health Association's Age-Friendly Initiative. Discusses social connection in rural communities, community collaborations, and age-friendly care work in the Rural Health Transformation Program proposals.
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Amplifying Impact: Advocacy Strategies for Rural, Non-Congregate Programs
A recorded webinar that focuses on creating effective collaborations among community stakeholders to promote successful rural non-congregate (RNC) summer meal programs. Discusses policy, advocacy efforts, and building community support for RNC programs.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Author(s): Heather Senecal, Petra Colindres, Aaron Goldstein
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Expanding Zero Suicide: Qualitative Assessment of Community Mental Health Center Partnerships Supporting Rural Suicide Prevention
Examines the impact of the Zero Suicide framework and its ability to promote community mental health supports. Utilizes semi-structured interview feedback from Zero Suicide organizations served by a Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) and discusses suicide prevention partnerships, information sharing, and staffing in rural areas.
Author(s): Ryan Marawala, Thomas Delaney
Citation: Community Mental Health Journal
Date: 04/2026
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Collaborating for Transportation Access in Rural Communities
Features the nonprofit Feonix – Mobility Rising and its work to support Waupaca County Catch a Ride in Wisconsin and the Transportation Rx program in South Texas. Shares how these programs work to improve transportation in their communities so people can more easily access healthcare, employment, and other needs.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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State Action to Improve Maternal & Child Health with the Rural Health Transformation Program: Virtual Convening of Milbank State Leadership Network Recap
Summarizes a March 2026 meeting for state legislators and executive branch leaders regarding how states are planning to use the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to address maternal and child health. Describes early implementation strategies presented by leaders from Mississippi, Indiana, and Oklahoma. Discusses how states are aligning funding, infrastructure, and community partnerships to expand access to care and improve outcomes.
Author(s): Mary Louise Gilburg, Morgan McDonald
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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A Chartbook on the Characteristics and Needs of Frontier Critical Access Hospitals
Summarizes findings from a 2025 national survey of executives from 117 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in frontier counties. Includes data on the distribution and characteristics of frontier CAHs. Identifies themes related to financial and operational challenges, service availability, and access to care in frontier settings.
Author(s): John A. Gale, Rebecca Stearns, Zachariah Croll, Jayne Foley
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Home Visiting Partnerships Serving Native Families: An Extension of the Multi-Site Implementation Study of Tribal Home Visiting (MUSE)
Discusses the Multi-Site Study of State-Tribal Collaboration (MUSE-STC) that examines collaboration between State Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program awardees and organizations within tribal communities that provide home visiting services. Analyzes facilitators and barriers of collaborative partnerships and how they impact tribal home visiting services, including those in rural areas.
Author(s): Melina Salvador, William Voinot-Baron, Erin Geary, Nancy Whitesell, Kate Lyon
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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Sharing Resources and Working Together: The Rural Collaborative
Provides an overview of the Rural Collaborative, a network of 31 rural public hospitals across Washington state. Describes how the network helps participating hospitals maintain their independence by sharing resources and working together on shared services, peer learning, operational support, and preferred pricing. Discusses the network's history and members, network operations and priorities, and future plans.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Reaching the Last Mile: Strategies for Serving Ultra-Rural Populations
A recorded webinar that discusses barriers when serving meals to ultra-rural and remote populations and provides related insights, strategies, and collaborative approaches to reach communities. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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