Community Vitality and Rural Healthcare – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Community Vitality and Rural Healthcare.
Mapping a New Terrain: 5 Principles for Equitable Rural Outdoor Recreational Economies
Offers suggestions for rural communities and Native nations looking at ways to improve economic prosperity, and population health and well-being through the development of natural assets and rural outdoor recreation. Topics cover ownership and control of recreation assets, building a resilient infrastructure, coordinating assets and stakeholder engagement, respect for the landscape, people and culture during the development process, and designing for equitable access and participation for all residents. Includes recommendations for community organizations, local government, and philanthropic organizations.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Aspen Institute, Community Strategies Group
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Offers suggestions for rural communities and Native nations looking at ways to improve economic prosperity, and population health and well-being through the development of natural assets and rural outdoor recreation. Topics cover ownership and control of recreation assets, building a resilient infrastructure, coordinating assets and stakeholder engagement, respect for the landscape, people and culture during the development process, and designing for equitable access and participation for all residents. Includes recommendations for community organizations, local government, and philanthropic organizations.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Aspen Institute, Community Strategies Group
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Linkages Between Rural Community Capitals and Healthcare Provision: A Survey of Small Rural Towns in Three U.S. Regions
Identifies community-level factors affecting the recruitment and retention of rural healthcare professionals through key informant interviews and a survey of healthcare professionals in 9 states across three regions: the Lower Mississippi Delta, the Southern Great Plains, and the Upper Midwest. Explores how the importance of these factors varies across regions and types of healthcare professionals and whether the importance of these factors differs between recruitment and retention.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): John Pender, Maria Kuhns, Cindy Yu, Janice Larson, Shirley Huck
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Identifies community-level factors affecting the recruitment and retention of rural healthcare professionals through key informant interviews and a survey of healthcare professionals in 9 states across three regions: the Lower Mississippi Delta, the Southern Great Plains, and the Upper Midwest. Explores how the importance of these factors varies across regions and types of healthcare professionals and whether the importance of these factors differs between recruitment and retention.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): John Pender, Maria Kuhns, Cindy Yu, Janice Larson, Shirley Huck
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Federal Credit Assistance and Grant Programs for Rural Businesses: In Brief
Provides an overview of selected federal credit assistance and grant programs that support rural businesses. Covers programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), as well as the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Provides an overview of selected federal credit assistance and grant programs that support rural businesses. Covers programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), as well as the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Access to Jobs, Economic Opportunities, and Education in Rural Areas
Provides an overview of the challenges experienced in rural communities such as connectivity issues; access to goods, social services, and healthcare; and a lack of educational and economic opportunities. Includes implementation strategies for rural communities to evaluate, plan for, and improve accessibility, along with related case studies.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2023
Sponsoring organizations: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Transportation Research Board
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Provides an overview of the challenges experienced in rural communities such as connectivity issues; access to goods, social services, and healthcare; and a lack of educational and economic opportunities. Includes implementation strategies for rural communities to evaluate, plan for, and improve accessibility, along with related case studies.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2023
Sponsoring organizations: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Transportation Research Board
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Through Natural Disaster to Prosperity: Five Principles to Improve Health and Economic Outcomes for Rural Communities and Native Nations
Describes 5 principles related to natural disasters and community resilience, including conditions that affect disaster vulnerability, relationships among rural communities and natural systems, equity in disaster response, local capacity, and responsive funding. Offers rural and tribal case studies and perspectives from rural economic and community development practitioners.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute
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Describes 5 principles related to natural disasters and community resilience, including conditions that affect disaster vulnerability, relationships among rural communities and natural systems, equity in disaster response, local capacity, and responsive funding. Offers rural and tribal case studies and perspectives from rural economic and community development practitioners.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute
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Rural Opportunity Zone and Recovery Playbook
Offers best practices for rural community leaders and economic development officials to pursue Opportunity Zone investment. Discusses leadership and stakeholder team building, navigating local, state, and federal incentives, community planning, investment relationship building, and more. Appendices offer data tools, resources, and Opportunity Zone guides and resources.
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Sorenson Impact Center, Utah Association of Counties
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Offers best practices for rural community leaders and economic development officials to pursue Opportunity Zone investment. Discusses leadership and stakeholder team building, navigating local, state, and federal incentives, community planning, investment relationship building, and more. Appendices offer data tools, resources, and Opportunity Zone guides and resources.
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Sorenson Impact Center, Utah Association of Counties
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Strengthening Social Connection and Opportunities in Rural Communities
Brief describing the St. David's Foundation's efforts to support rural community capacity building to address social determinants of health in central Texas. Discusses rural-specific considerations for rural philanthropy, network building, and participatory grantmaking.
Author(s): Abena Asante, William Moore
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Grantmakers in Health
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Brief describing the St. David's Foundation's efforts to support rural community capacity building to address social determinants of health in central Texas. Discusses rural-specific considerations for rural philanthropy, network building, and participatory grantmaking.
Author(s): Abena Asante, William Moore
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Grantmakers in Health
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Review of Rural U.S. Economic and Health Care Trends
Reviews recent literature and publicly available data to explore important issues at the nexus of healthcare and local economic vibrancy, and explores the economic implications associated with COVID-19. Includes sections on rural hospitals, the rural healthcare workforce, emergency medical services, insurance, and telehealth. Features statistics with breakdowns by 6 levels of population density and county-level maps showing Health Professional Shortage Areas and rural counties without obstetrical services.
Author(s): Alison Davis
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health
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Reviews recent literature and publicly available data to explore important issues at the nexus of healthcare and local economic vibrancy, and explores the economic implications associated with COVID-19. Includes sections on rural hospitals, the rural healthcare workforce, emergency medical services, insurance, and telehealth. Features statistics with breakdowns by 6 levels of population density and county-level maps showing Health Professional Shortage Areas and rural counties without obstetrical services.
Author(s): Alison Davis
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health
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The Economic Effects of Rural Hospital Closures
Examines the impact of a rural hospital closure on local economic outcomes. Compares economic changes in nonmetro counties experiencing a hospital closure between 2001 and 2018 to changes in a control group of nonmetro counties. Presents data on the effects of rural hospital closures on annual income, population size, unemployment, and labor force size overall and by closure type and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) and Prospective Payment System (PPS) status.
Author(s): Tyler L. Malone, Arrianna Marie Planey, Laura B. Bozovich, Kristie W. Thompson, George M. Holmes
Citation: Health Services Research, 57(3), 614-623
Date: 06/2022
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Examines the impact of a rural hospital closure on local economic outcomes. Compares economic changes in nonmetro counties experiencing a hospital closure between 2001 and 2018 to changes in a control group of nonmetro counties. Presents data on the effects of rural hospital closures on annual income, population size, unemployment, and labor force size overall and by closure type and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) and Prospective Payment System (PPS) status.
Author(s): Tyler L. Malone, Arrianna Marie Planey, Laura B. Bozovich, Kristie W. Thompson, George M. Holmes
Citation: Health Services Research, 57(3), 614-623
Date: 06/2022
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Measure Up: Principles for Measuring Rural and Native Nation Development Progress
Discusses outcomes measurement for rural and tribal community and economic development initiatives. Offers strategies and principles for measurement, case studies, and resources to support rural communities and stakeholders navigate funding program requirements.
Additional links: Annotated List of Resources for Measuring Rural Development Progress, Executive Summary
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute
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Discusses outcomes measurement for rural and tribal community and economic development initiatives. Offers strategies and principles for measurement, case studies, and resources to support rural communities and stakeholders navigate funding program requirements.
Additional links: Annotated List of Resources for Measuring Rural Development Progress, Executive Summary
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute
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Last Updated: 3/4/2025