This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Sustainability of programs

Workforce Development and Driver Shortages in Small Urban and Rural Transit
Examines the workforce development, succession plans, and turnover mitigation practices of transit agency managers. Analyzes survey data focused on driver shortfall issues and strategies to recruit and retain new drivers in small urban and rural transit. Includes data on employment and driver characteristics as well as rural versus urban comparisons of workforce shortages.
Author(s): Del Peterson, Antonio Molina
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
view details
A Comparison of Critical Access Hospitals and Other Rural Acute Care Hospitals in Pennsylvania
Examines finances of acute care hospitals in rural Pennsylvania between 2000 and 2020 to determine if the Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation increases financial stability. Compares CAHs to rural Prospective Payment System hospitals to draw conclusions on the success of the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program's impact on CAHs. Includes information on financial measures, hospital characteristics, quality measures, payer mix, and more to suggest opportunities for strengthening CAH viability.
Author(s): Dinesh R. Pai, Chamila K. Dissanayake, Anna M. Anna
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(4), 719-727
Date: 2023
view details
Improving Rural Health Through Telehealth-Guided Provider-to-Provider Communication
Presents the results of a comprehensive literature review to identify, summarize, and evaluate available research on the contributions of rural provider-to-provider telehealth communication and collaboration in addressing health disparities, and improving the health of rural populations. Topics cover the specific applications, effectiveness, implementation, sustainability, and barriers and facilitators of provider-to-provider telehealth in rural areas.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Full Report, Telehealth's Potential To Benefit Rural Healthcare Delivery: Infographic 1, Telehealth's Potential To Benefit Rural Healthcare Delivery: Infographic 2
Author(s): Annette Totten, Dana M. Womack, Marian S. McDonagh, et al.
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
view details
National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop: Improving Rural Health Through Telehealth-Guided Provider-to-Provider Communication
Examines the effectiveness of rural provider-to-provider collaboration through the use of telehealth based on a systematic review of rural provider-to-provider telehealth (RPPT), and the results of a workshop of rural health experts. Discusses uptake of different types of telehealth, benefits of provider-to-provider telehealth for rural patients, barriers and facilitators to implementation and sustainability, and limitations of studies examining rural telehealth.
Author(s): Mary Wakefield, Jayashri Sankaranarayanan, Joanne Mather Conroy, et al.
Citation: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 2022
Date: 12/2022
view details
Responding to One Rural Community's Primary Care Needs: Investing in Workforce and Broad Community Stakeholder Engagement
Commentary describing a model in which an academic health system in Rockingham County, North Carolina made targeted primary care investments to address rural health disparities while working to ensure sustainability within the health workforce. Examines challenges to improving rural health outcomes and offers suggestions for health systems seeking to replicate the Rockingham model.
Author(s): Sherry Hay, Emily M. Hawes, Alyssa Zamierowski, Stokes Ann Hunt, Cristen P. Page
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 83(6), 435-439
Date: 11/2022
view details
Minnesota Gaps Analysis of Rural Ambulance Resources
Presents the results of a survey to identify knowledge and resources to support rural emergency medical services (EMS) sustainability in Minnesota. Includes information on gaps in knowledge and resources broken down by topic areas such as recruitment and retention, education, leadership development, and more. Also provides recommendations on next steps to support data gathering and strategic planning efforts to improve rural EMS sustainability in the state.
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Ambulance Association
view details
Rapid Antigen Screening of Students and Staff for SARS-CoV-2 in Rural School Districts, Pierce County, WA, 2020
Provides an overview of a program in rural Washington school districts to screen students and staff for COVID-19 with weekly rapid antigen tests. Discusses efficacy, impact on school policy decisions, and overall sustainability of the program.
Author(s): Daniel R. Stutman, Julie K. Tergliafera, Morgan E. Black, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 112(8), 1134-1137
Date: 08/2022
view details
Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG 2.0) Program Operator and Partner Perspectives on Local Service Delivery Systems
Features 15 of the 32 Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program grantees who provide services to low-income adults and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients to promote their entrance into high demand healthcare occupations. Examines how these programs, including 9 serving rural areas, partnered with their local workforce systems. Includes discussion of rural-specific issues related to healthcare training and employment.
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
view details
Rural Produce Prescription Toolkit: Increasing Access to Healthy Food for Rural Communities
Provides a framework for how to implement a produce prescription program in a rural community to improve healthy food access. Discusses funding, partnerships, program design, and evaluation with considerations for scalability and sustainability.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organizations: No Kid Hungry, UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations
view details
Rural EMS: Taking the Next Step
Discusses funding, hiring, collaboration, and policy to support emergency medical services (EMS) in rural Minnesota. Utilizes Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) survey data and interview data to discuss issues related to EMS management and sustainability. Provides charts showing recruitment and training barriers in rural versus urban areas.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Kelly Asche
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
view details