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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Tribal communities

Rural and Tribal Transit: The Federal Transit Administration Should Evaluate Its Efforts to Help Improve Accessibility and Service
Explores the primary federal funding sources for accessible transit for older adults and people with disabilities for rural and tribal communities. Describes the approaches these communities have used to provide accessible transit, and the challenges they have faced. Discusses how the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have helped communities use funds to improve these transit services.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Reasons for Experiencing Delayed or Forgone Health Care among Rural American Indian/Alaska Native and Rural Non-Hispanic White Individuals, 2022
Policy brief offering reported reasons for experiencing delayed or forgone health care and how this differs between rural American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) and rural non-Hispanic white people, as well as by Indian Health Service care access among rural AI/AN people. Uses data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey.
Author(s): Ingrid Jacobson, Julia Interrante, Hailey A. Baker, Mariana Tuttle, Katy B. Kozhimannil
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Evaluating the TVR-SET: Insights into Self-Employment from Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors
Discusses the Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Self-Employment Toolkit (TVR-SET) that provides resources to assist American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people with disabilities in securing employment in their communities. Evaluates TVR-SET and provides key findings and impact on users.
Author(s): Catherine Ipsen, Luke Santore
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of Montana: Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
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Suicide Surveillance Report, South Dakota
Illustrates South Dakota's current suicide rates and trends, and compares this data with national rates. Includes county data, method of suicide or self-injury by age and sex, and suicidal ideation by high school students.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: South Dakota Department of Health
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Arizona Tribal Maternal and Child Health Needs Assessment
Reports on maternal and child health needs for the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population in Arizona, including health indicator and community survey data on topics such as mental health, education, nutrition, public health communication, and more. Discusses tribal health topics throughout, with additional rural-specific data presented on pages 14-19.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, American Indian Research Center for Health
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35 Years of Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health and Well-Being in American Indian Communities: The Strong Heart Study and Strong Heart Family Study
Discusses the impact of the Strong Heart Study (SHS) and Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS) to provide population health and cardiovascular health outcomes information on rural tribal communities. Focuses on the importance of longitudinal studies, rigorous data collection, knowledge sharing, and partnerships.
Author(s): Amanda M. Fretts, Jessica A. Reese, Ying Zhang
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 22
Date: 07/2025
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Strong Heart Study: 35 Years of Research Collaboration With American Indian Communities
Special issue of Preventing Chronic Disease featuring articles that highlight research produced through the Strong Heart Study and Strong Heart Family Study, which focus on cardiovascular health in American Indian tribal communities. Includes articles related to American Indian cardiovascular mortality, health research methods, environmental health, coincident health conditions, and more.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease
Date: 07/2025
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Implementing a Tribally Engaged Lung Cancer Screening Pilot Program in Rural Oklahoma
Presents a study on the efficacy of a lung cancer screening program within a tribally operated health system in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Bases findings on pre- and post-intervention surveys. Makes recommendation for program expansion and highlights key barriers and facilitators to implementation.
Author(s): Zsolt Nagykaldi, Mark Doescher, Dorothy A. Rhoades, et al.
Citation: Cancer Prevention Research, 18(7), 423-430
Date: 07/2025
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EMS Service Integration in American Indian and Native Alaskan Rural Communities
Highlights several initiatives aimed at expanding emergency medical services (EMS) in tribal communities. Explores the role of tribal sovereignty, cost effectiveness, and infrastructure improvements in expanding and optimizing EMS in tribal communities.
Author(s): Chelsea Tsasse, John Shufeldt
Citation: AMA Journal of Ethics, 27(7), 525-529
Date: 07/2025
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New Mexico State-Tribal Collaboration Act July 31, 2025 Agency Report
Summarizes collaboration between New Mexico state agencies and tribal nations regarding current public health priorities, including primary care, data sharing, policy collaboration, and measles response. Identifies resources available for American Indians from each New Mexico department and activities and funding for the fiscal year 2025, including topics such as community health workers, cancer, diabetes, COVID-19, suicide prevention, maternal and child health, and more.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Department of Health
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