Rural Health
News by Topic: Access
Apr 26, 2026 - The Veterans Affairs' TelePharmacy program, available in selected areas across the country, gives remote access to veterans who live in areas without a pharmacy specialist. The My HealtheVet app can be used to verify appointment times, refill prescriptions, and send secure messages to patients' VA care teams.
Source: VA News
Apr 22, 2026 - The University of Washington's Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program doubled in size last year, after moving to the Gonzaga University campus and expanding Spokane-based training to the first two years of dental school. 78% of RIDE students practice in rural areas after graduation.
Source: The Spokesman-Review
Apr 21, 2026 - Describes psychiatrist workforce shortages in West Virginia following a recent report that the state has the lowest supply in the nation. Discusses drivers of the shortage, including reimbursement rates and administrative process, fewer people entering the field, and behavioral health disparities in the state.
Source: West Virginia Watch
Apr 20, 2026 - Profiles Lancaster County's community paramedicine program, an initiative that serves about 1,000 people a month. Pennsylvania officials want to expand it to rural communities with few medical providers and elder care services.
Source: Evening Sun
Apr 20, 2026 - Examines ways in which rural communities can create accountable care programs, using funds from the Rural Health Transformation Program. Notes that rural areas have tighter social networks, clearer referral pathways, and fewer competing delivery systems, which can support accountable care after infrastructure is in place.
Source: Health Affairs
Apr 20, 2026 - Describes a pilot program using telehealth that aims to expand access to cardiology care in rural Arkansas.
Source: KNWA/KFTA
Apr 20, 2026 - Describes the role a summer meal program plays in ensuring food access for rural Alaskan children in communities with no dedicated food banks. Notes that applications for eligible children is now open.
Source: Alaska Public Media
Apr 17, 2026 - Researchers from Harvard have found that millions of Americans face serious barriers to dental care, and the barriers are especially severe in rural areas. Rural patients face considerably longer travel times, especially for specialty dental care.
Source: The Harvard Gazette
Apr 16, 2026 - The Birmingham, Alabama VA Health Care System is starting a mobile prosthetics program, which will make it easier for rural veterans to get specialty care. The unit will visit 3 community outpatient clinics, and can provide on-site evaluations, adjustments, and fittings.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Apr 16, 2026 - A study from Pennsylvania State University examines how the loss of everyday locations such as grocery stores, pharmacies, primary care clinics, schools, and churches may affect health. The authors focus on a rural township in Pennsylvania and argue that such places act as health infrastructure, particularly in rural areas.
Source: Population Reference Bureau