Healthcare Access in Rural Communities – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Healthcare Access in Rural Communities.
Access to Care: Populations in Counties with No FQHC, RHC, or Acute Care Hospital
Findings brief focusing on the 3 main facility types providing primary care in rural areas and examining how many people will likely have limited access to primary care based on their locations. Includes statistics on numbers of people living in counties without these facilities, with breakdowns by 9 census divisions.
Author(s): Meagan Clawar, Randy Randolph, Kristie Thompson, George H. Pink
Date: 01/2018
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Findings brief focusing on the 3 main facility types providing primary care in rural areas and examining how many people will likely have limited access to primary care based on their locations. Includes statistics on numbers of people living in counties without these facilities, with breakdowns by 9 census divisions.
Author(s): Meagan Clawar, Randy Randolph, Kristie Thompson, George H. Pink
Date: 01/2018
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Rural Healthy People 2020: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2020, Volume 1
Provides a rural focus for the Healthy People 2020 priorities. Includes overviews of the top 10 rural health priority areas identified by rural stakeholders. (Volume 2 discusses priorities 11-20.) Topics addressed include: health insurance, primary care, emergency services, nutrition and weight status, diabetes, mental health, substance abuse, heart disease and stroke, physical activity, older adults, maternal and child health, and tobacco use. Each overview includes reviews of the relevant literature and models that rural communities can use to address the issues. Document is available for free download, after providing brief information about intended use.
Author(s): Jane N. Bolin, Gail Bellamy, Alva O. Ferdinand, Bita Kash, Janet W. Helduser
Date: 2015
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Provides a rural focus for the Healthy People 2020 priorities. Includes overviews of the top 10 rural health priority areas identified by rural stakeholders. (Volume 2 discusses priorities 11-20.) Topics addressed include: health insurance, primary care, emergency services, nutrition and weight status, diabetes, mental health, substance abuse, heart disease and stroke, physical activity, older adults, maternal and child health, and tobacco use. Each overview includes reviews of the relevant literature and models that rural communities can use to address the issues. Document is available for free download, after providing brief information about intended use.
Author(s): Jane N. Bolin, Gail Bellamy, Alva O. Ferdinand, Bita Kash, Janet W. Helduser
Date: 2015
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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The 2014 Update of the Rural-Urban Chartbook
Updates information presented in Health, United States, 2001: With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Highlights current trends and disparities across different levels of metro and nonmetropolitan counties, including population characteristics; health-related behaviors and risk factors; mortality rates; healthcare access and use; mental health measures; and other health measures such as teen birth rates, tooth loss, and activity limitations due to chronic disease. Individual data tables are available in an Excel file.
Author(s): Michael Meit, Alana Knudson, Tess Gilbert, et al.
Date: 10/2014
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
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Updates information presented in Health, United States, 2001: With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Highlights current trends and disparities across different levels of metro and nonmetropolitan counties, including population characteristics; health-related behaviors and risk factors; mortality rates; healthcare access and use; mental health measures; and other health measures such as teen birth rates, tooth loss, and activity limitations due to chronic disease. Individual data tables are available in an Excel file.
Author(s): Michael Meit, Alana Knudson, Tess Gilbert, et al.
Date: 10/2014
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
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Medicaid Primary Care Workforce Tracker
Interactive tool presenting state and county-level data on the primary care workforce providing healthcare to Medicaid enrollees. Uses data from the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) from 2016-2019 to identify primary care clinicians who saw Medicaid beneficiaries each year.
Sponsoring organization: Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity
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Interactive tool presenting state and county-level data on the primary care workforce providing healthcare to Medicaid enrollees. Uses data from the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) from 2016-2019 to identify primary care clinicians who saw Medicaid beneficiaries each year.
Sponsoring organization: Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity
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Exploring the Health Care Challenges Rural Americans Face Across 5 States
Articles from Rural RX, a series intended to explore the forces that shape rural health care in America. Features programs in Alabama, Texas, Colorado, New York, and West Virginia.
Author(s): Nicole Ellis, William Brangham, Caleb Hellerman
Sponsoring organization: PBS News Hour
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Articles from Rural RX, a series intended to explore the forces that shape rural health care in America. Features programs in Alabama, Texas, Colorado, New York, and West Virginia.
Author(s): Nicole Ellis, William Brangham, Caleb Hellerman
Sponsoring organization: PBS News Hour
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Medicaid/CHIP Coverage by School Districts, 2018-2022
Provides data on the percent of children covered by Medicaid/CHIP by school district, with separate, searchable lists for each state.
Sponsoring organization: Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
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Provides data on the percent of children covered by Medicaid/CHIP by school district, with separate, searchable lists for each state.
Sponsoring organization: Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
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March of Dimes Maternity Care Deserts Dashboard
Depicts county-level access to maternity care, access to hospitals with obstetric care or birth centers, and access to obstetric providers across the U.S. Allows user to select for demographic information such as age, race/ethnicity, education and household composition, and prevalence of health conditions and behaviors. Includes data on total births by county.
Sponsoring organization: March of Dimes
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Depicts county-level access to maternity care, access to hospitals with obstetric care or birth centers, and access to obstetric providers across the U.S. Allows user to select for demographic information such as age, race/ethnicity, education and household composition, and prevalence of health conditions and behaviors. Includes data on total births by county.
Sponsoring organization: March of Dimes
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Health Insurance Coverage, 2008-2021
Animated map showing annual county-level data on health insurance coverage from 2008-2022, based on the Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE).
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Animated map showing annual county-level data on health insurance coverage from 2008-2022, based on the Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE).
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Maternal and Infant Health Mapping Tool
Map-based access to county-level data on maternal health, infant health, and health resources. Includes data on pre-pregnancy health status, preterm births, infant mortality, access to prenatal care, availability of providers, health insurance coverage, demographics, and more.
Sponsoring organization: Maternal and Child Health Bureau
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Map-based access to county-level data on maternal health, infant health, and health resources. Includes data on pre-pregnancy health status, preterm births, infant mortality, access to prenatal care, availability of providers, health insurance coverage, demographics, and more.
Sponsoring organization: Maternal and Child Health Bureau
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County Data Maps from CEARH
Provides maps of the contiguous U.S. that represent data related to healthcare access at the county level, healthcare industry characteristics in rural counties, socio-demographic characteristics, and rural health characteristics. Map indicators can be adjusted to reflect specific types of data.
Sponsoring organization: Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health
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Provides maps of the contiguous U.S. that represent data related to healthcare access at the county level, healthcare industry characteristics in rural counties, socio-demographic characteristics, and rural health characteristics. Map indicators can be adjusted to reflect specific types of data.
Sponsoring organization: Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:
Last Updated: 2/21/2025