Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document

How Do Services Offered Within Opioid Treatment Programs Vary Based on State Methadone Policies?
Examines the availability of opioid treatment programs (OTPs) in various states as well as access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) options, psychosocial services, and housing supports. Analyzes 1,501 opioid treatment programs (OTPs) and their characteristics, including state restrictiveness, services offered, facility type, rurality, and more.
Author(s): Zoe Lindenfeld, Noa Krawczyk, Erin A. Taylor, Denis Agniel, Jonathan H. Cantor
Citation: Journal of Substance Use & Addiction Treatment, 190, 210062
Date: 11/2026
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Personalized Environmental Risk Communication and Cancer Screening Intent among Rural Private Well Users
Presents findings from a private well testing and cancer education initiative in Georgia's Tattnall, Bulloch, and Evans counties. Includes data on well contaminants, understanding of well testing results, environmental risk communication, and cancer screening intent among 100 rural well owners.
Author(s): Victoria Clower, Andrew Hansen, Jeff Jones, Asli Aslan
Citation: Preventive Medicine Reports, 70, 103620
Date: 10/2026
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Unmasking the Rural Substance Use Burden: The Need to Move Beyond Macro-Level Data in Substance Use Policy and Planning
Brief examines health-related differences and service gaps of rural, non-rural, and national communities to better understand substance use trends in order to inform policies and interventions in rural communities. Bases findings on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and details rates of opioid, stimulant, vape, and alcohol use in rural and urban areas in 2023 and 2024.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Technical Assistance
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Medicare Advantage: Plan Options and Enrollment Trends in Arkansas
Explains how Medicare Advantage plans affect healthcare delivery, Medicare enrollment, and payment practices in Arkansas. Includes discussion of reimbursement challenges in rural hospitals.
Author(s): Jennifer Wessel, Chris Ray
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Associations of Rurality, Child Opportunity, and Distance with Use of Pediatric Asthma Specialists
Examines the relationship among rurality, child opportunity index (COI), and drive time to a pediatric asthma specialist. Utilizes 2015-2021 Maine Health Data Organization All-Payer Claims Data to analyze 12,014 children with a pediatric asthma referral according to patient demographics and health status, drive time to a specialist, COI, and metro, micro, small town, or isolated small rural location. Discusses disparities in access to asthma specialty care for rural children.
Author(s): James Bohnhoff, Anya Cutler, Elizabeth A. Jacobs, Wanda Phipatanakul, Yvonne Jonk
Citation: The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 158(3), 751-757
Date: 09/2026
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So You Want To Become A Health Center
Provides guidance for organizations interested in establishing a new health center under the HRSA Health Center Program. Includes information on pathways of entry into the Health Center Program; Health Center Program benefits and eligibility; strategies for assessing community need; governance, financial, and operational considerations, and more.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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Exploring Potential Predictors and Mediators of Marijuana Use Among US Women: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach
Examines variables related to marijuana use among U.S. adult women who reported marijuana use in the last year. Utilizes 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data to analyze marijuana use with breakdowns according to sociodemographic variables, criminal history, binge drinking, and nonmetropolitan, small metropolitan, or large metropolitan county location.
Author(s): Elfreda Samman, Wah Wah Myint, Gabrielle Torres-Coley, Aishatu Yusuf
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 23
Date: 09/2026
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Fatigue Among Adults Age 18 and Older: United States, 2024
Analyzes the prevalence of fatigue and related functioning difficulties and work or social limitations by demographic group, using 2024 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data. See Table 2 for comparisons of frequency of fatigue by level of rurality, among other demographics.
Author(s): Natalie A. E. Young, Julie D. Weeks, Nazik Elgaddal
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Artificial Intelligence as a Health Communication Infrastructure for Metro and Nonmetro Residents
Examines trends in the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) for health information. Analyzes 2026 survey data from 1,343 adults regarding their AI use and includes additional breakdowns according to sociodemographics, location of Illinois or other U.S. state, and rural, suburban, or urban location.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Using the Machine Learning Algorithm XGBoost to Understand the Correlates of Wearing Hearing Protection in Central States' Agricultural Producers
Examines correlates to the use of hearing protection among agricultural producers in seven states using data from the Farm and Ranch Health and Safety Survey collected in 2018, 2020, and 2023. Uses a machine learning algorithm to identify correlative factors to the use of hearing protection, such as sex, type of agricultural operation, and operator role, among others.
Author(s): Cheryl L. Beseler, Ellen G. Duysen, Risto H. Rautiainen
Citation: American Journal of Audiology, 35(3), 955-964
Date: 09/2026
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