Rural Health
News by Topic: Access
Sep 17, 2025 - Highlights proposed legislation that aims to improve access to healthcare for veterans by allowing rural Veterans Administration (VA) clinics to contract with outside healthcare providers. The bill is in response to staffing issues in VA facilities.
Source: KOLD
Sep 17, 2025 - Highlights maternal healthcare access challenges in rural Ohio including patient volume and facility closures. Discusses potential solutions including telehealth and mobile clinics.
Source: The Post
Sep 16, 2025 - Discusses the use of mobile clinics in North Carolina to increase access to medications for opioid use disorder in rural and other low access areas. Discusses distance to care and transportation barriers for opioid treatment programs as well as stigma.
Source: North Carolina Health News
Sep 15, 2025 - Announces information for states to apply for funding under the Rural Health Transformation Program. Funded projects should address one or more of the stated goals related to healthcare access, rural health innovation, workforce development, and technology. The deadline to apply is November 5, 2025.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Newsroom
Related funding:
Rural Health Transformation Program
Sep 12, 2025 - Describes a partnership between the American Heart Association and a rural Arkansas library system to offer blood pressure monitoring kits available for check out. Discusses differences in heart disease prevalence for rural and urban residents.
Source: American Heart Association Newsroom
Sep 12, 2025 - Highlights 2 doctors in New Mexico who are leaving their small community as part of a larger national trend of declining access to physicians in rural areas. Discusses common challenges including reimbursement and other financial concerns. Notes policy measures proposed by governors in New Mexico and other western states to address healthcare workforce shortages.
Source: KUNC
Sep 10, 2025 - Summarizes recent research findings that rural residents are more likely to experience poor outcomes compared to urban residents following surgery for colon cancer. Greater access to minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for rural patients is identified as a solution for improving surgery outcomes. Discusses challenges with expanding access to MIS.
Source: Bioengineer.org
Food Bank of Siouxland Distributed Nearly 300,000 Pounds of Food Through 'Healthy Kids Iowa' Program
Sep 10, 2025 - Discusses the success and challenges for a pilot program offering access to healthy foods in the summer for students in Iowa.
Source: KTIV
Sep 10, 2025 - Discusses stresses experienced by farmers, limited access to mental health services for those in rural areas, and the higher than average rates of suicide in the farming community. Offers mental health resources, services, and information for farmers in Michigan.
Source: Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
Sep 9, 2025 - Video highlighting a program offering free access to licensed mental healthcare for students and their parents in a rural Georgia community. Describes common barriers to mental healthcare for rural residents.
Source: WALB News 10