Rural Public Health Agencies – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Public Health Agencies.
The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America's Public Health System: Trends, Risks, and Recommendations, 2024
Provides state-by-state information on public health funding and discusses public health systems at the local, tribal, and territorial levels. Includes information on funding provided to the states by the federal government, as well as state public health budgets. Features information about federal funding for COVID-19 response actions.
Author(s): Matt McKillop, Dara Alpert Lieberman
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Provides state-by-state information on public health funding and discusses public health systems at the local, tribal, and territorial levels. Includes information on funding provided to the states by the federal government, as well as state public health budgets. Features information about federal funding for COVID-19 response actions.
Author(s): Matt McKillop, Dara Alpert Lieberman
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Are We Ready? Preparing for the Public Health Challenges of Climate Change
Provides information on how local health departments (LHDs) are planning for climate change. Discusses public health consequences of heat, drought, wildfires, and smoke and how public health programming and services can mitigate health issues. Utilizes 302 responses from LHDs to discuss issues such as staff capacity, funding sources, understanding of the effects of climate change, and more, with representative responses from small LHDs serving less than 50,000 people.
Author(s): Angana Roy, Margaret Cunningham, Kellie Hall
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Provides information on how local health departments (LHDs) are planning for climate change. Discusses public health consequences of heat, drought, wildfires, and smoke and how public health programming and services can mitigate health issues. Utilizes 302 responses from LHDs to discuss issues such as staff capacity, funding sources, understanding of the effects of climate change, and more, with representative responses from small LHDs serving less than 50,000 people.
Author(s): Angana Roy, Margaret Cunningham, Kellie Hall
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Reframing Health Disparities in Rural America: A Communications Toolkit
Provides resources and strategies for public health professionals to communicate effectively about rural health disparities with a variety of audiences. Includes sample letters and social media posts that include health equity and historical context in their messages.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organizations: FrameWorks Institute, National Network of Public Health Institutes
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Provides resources and strategies for public health professionals to communicate effectively about rural health disparities with a variety of audiences. Includes sample letters and social media posts that include health equity and historical context in their messages.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organizations: FrameWorks Institute, National Network of Public Health Institutes
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Building Resilience: How Recent Federal Policy Is Laying the Groundwork for Improved Climate Adaptation
Examines the intersection of public health, climate change, and equity and details federal policy that focuses on climate adaptation and resilience strategies for underserved, rural, and/or tribal communities. Provides resources and collaborative opportunities for public health departments to address climate change issues in their local areas. Includes data on global surface temperature by year and state-by-state infrastructure funding to improve environmental health.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Examines the intersection of public health, climate change, and equity and details federal policy that focuses on climate adaptation and resilience strategies for underserved, rural, and/or tribal communities. Provides resources and collaborative opportunities for public health departments to address climate change issues in their local areas. Includes data on global surface temperature by year and state-by-state infrastructure funding to improve environmental health.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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A Guide to Building a Climate-Ready Rural Workforce
Guides local health departments in establishing and expanding climate and health programs for rural areas. Discusses climate-related environmental health challenges and activities, including sections on surveillance and data use, partnerships, communication and outreach, workforce development, and mental health.
Author(s): Nikita Kheni, Angana Roy, Aliya Al-Sadi, Beth Hess
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Guides local health departments in establishing and expanding climate and health programs for rural areas. Discusses climate-related environmental health challenges and activities, including sections on surveillance and data use, partnerships, communication and outreach, workforce development, and mental health.
Author(s): Nikita Kheni, Angana Roy, Aliya Al-Sadi, Beth Hess
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Beyond Borders: Benefits and Challenges of Leading a Multi-County Health Department
Discusses the impact of consolidating small jurisdictions of local health departments to create multi-county health departments that serve at least 50,000 people, in effort to build economies of scale and better improve population health. Includes an interview with Becky Johnson, administrator of the SEK Multi-County Health Department (SEKMCHD) in southeast Kansas, that provides insight on the benefits of multi-county health departments and strategies to overcome obstacles and sustain services.
Author(s): Kevin Kovach
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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Discusses the impact of consolidating small jurisdictions of local health departments to create multi-county health departments that serve at least 50,000 people, in effort to build economies of scale and better improve population health. Includes an interview with Becky Johnson, administrator of the SEK Multi-County Health Department (SEKMCHD) in southeast Kansas, that provides insight on the benefits of multi-county health departments and strategies to overcome obstacles and sustain services.
Author(s): Kevin Kovach
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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Ready or Not 2024: Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism
Report explores the readiness of state public health systems to respond to emergencies, such as diseases, disasters, and bioterrorism. Focuses on measures such as hospital safety scores, vaccination rates, and water system maintenance, among others. Includes rural considerations throughout.
Author(s): Matt McKillop, Rhea K. Farberman, Dara Alpert Lieberman
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Report explores the readiness of state public health systems to respond to emergencies, such as diseases, disasters, and bioterrorism. Focuses on measures such as hospital safety scores, vaccination rates, and water system maintenance, among others. Includes rural considerations throughout.
Author(s): Matt McKillop, Rhea K. Farberman, Dara Alpert Lieberman
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Service & Resource Sharing in Rural Settings: A Perspective Report - Overcoming Common Barriers Faced by Rural Local Health Departments
Discusses the challenges of small and rural local health departments (LHDs) regarding limited resources and capacity. Analyzes 12 examples of service and resource sharing arrangements (SRSAs) that allow LHDs to improve the quality of their services, advance health equity, and provide better healthcare access to local populations.
Author(s): Wyatt J. Beckman, Haleigh Leslie, Christen Minnick, Olivia Sulivan, Nneoma Ubah
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organizations: East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health Research, Kansas Health Institute, Public Health Accreditation Board
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Discusses the challenges of small and rural local health departments (LHDs) regarding limited resources and capacity. Analyzes 12 examples of service and resource sharing arrangements (SRSAs) that allow LHDs to improve the quality of their services, advance health equity, and provide better healthcare access to local populations.
Author(s): Wyatt J. Beckman, Haleigh Leslie, Christen Minnick, Olivia Sulivan, Nneoma Ubah
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organizations: East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health Research, Kansas Health Institute, Public Health Accreditation Board
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Critical Access Hospital-Local Health Department Partnerships to Address Rural Community Needs
Explores Critical Access Hospital (CAH) involvement in collaborative community health networks that include local public health departments (LHDs), other healthcare organizations, social service agencies, and other community organizations. Uses survey data from the American Hospital Association (AHA) to describe the collaborative partnerships CAHs are engaged in, the organizations with which they partner, and the activities these partnerships undertake. Presents findings from qualitative interviews with four pairs of CAH and LHD leaders regarding challenges and lessons learned from these local-level collaborations. Identifies three areas of activity - community health needs assessments, emergency preparedness planning, and emergent public health crises - that provide an opportunity to encourage collaboration between CAHs and LHDs and address priority needs.
Author(s): Zachariah Croll, Celia Jewell, John Gale
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Explores Critical Access Hospital (CAH) involvement in collaborative community health networks that include local public health departments (LHDs), other healthcare organizations, social service agencies, and other community organizations. Uses survey data from the American Hospital Association (AHA) to describe the collaborative partnerships CAHs are engaged in, the organizations with which they partner, and the activities these partnerships undertake. Presents findings from qualitative interviews with four pairs of CAH and LHD leaders regarding challenges and lessons learned from these local-level collaborations. Identifies three areas of activity - community health needs assessments, emergency preparedness planning, and emergent public health crises - that provide an opportunity to encourage collaboration between CAHs and LHDs and address priority needs.
Author(s): Zachariah Croll, Celia Jewell, John Gale
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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2022 National Profile of Local Health Departments
Provides a study of local health department infrastructure and practice. Discusses topics including leadership, workforce, emergency preparedness and response, public health policy, information technology, financing, and more. Includes analysis by degree of urbanization throughout.
Author(s): Margaret Cunningham, Krishna Patel, Timothy C. McCall, et al.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Provides a study of local health department infrastructure and practice. Discusses topics including leadership, workforce, emergency preparedness and response, public health policy, information technology, financing, and more. Includes analysis by degree of urbanization throughout.
Author(s): Margaret Cunningham, Krishna Patel, Timothy C. McCall, et al.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:
Last Updated: 8/27/2025