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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Access

Oct 14, 2026 - Virginia leaders are considering expanding the definition of rural to allow more areas to qualify for Rural Health Transformation Program funding. The expanded definition must be approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Source: WDBJ
Oct 13, 2026 - An Albany, New York, Veterans Affairs mobile outreach initiative offers healthcare enrollment, benefits assistance, counseling referrals, and community resources in rural communities throughout northern New York. The North Country Caravan began operations in 2025 and was expanded in 2026.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Oct 13, 2026 - The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced $12.7 million in awards through the Maternal Produce Prescription Program to help pregnant and postpartum women and their families in low-income and medically underserved communities access healthy foods. The program bolsters partnerships among healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and local food systems.
Source: Health Resources and Services Administration
Oct 13, 2026 - Notice from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC) seeking research articles for consideration for inclusion in the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Summary of Advances. The Summary of Advances is a statutorily mandated report that highlights the most consequential autism research of the past year. Respondents may suggest up to five peer-reviewed studies published since January 1, 2025, and may also identify gaps in current autism research. Comments must be submitted via the web-based form by October 23, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 12, 2026 - Describes discussions at the North Carolina Rural Health Association's Western North Carolina gathering about the healthcare access challenges facing rural families and the impact local stakeholders can have in addressing those challenges.
Source: EdNC
Oct 9, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched the Newborn Essentials Support Toolkit in West Virginia. The program aims to offer families supplies and information in the days following delivery of a baby. One goal of the program is to reach rural and other medically underserved families.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Oct 9, 2026 - Describes the Mobile Prosthetic and Orthotic Care program at the Houston VA in Texas. The mobile prosthetics and orthotics lab can reach veterans in rural communities in need of adjustments rather than having to drive long distances to the Houston facility. The program was started at VA Puget Sound and has expanded nationally through the Veterans Health Administration Office of Rural Health.
Source: VA Houston Stories
Oct 7, 2026 - Discusses physical and mental healthcare access for rural veterans in Colorado. Describes discussions among federal officials at a Colorado roundtable.
Source: Fox21
Oct 7, 2026 - Highlights the healthcare work happening in rural communities during a tour of a rural health system in Minnesota. Discusses the outcomes following financial investment, access to specialty care, the focus on building the rural healthcare workforce, and how collaboration impacts the future of rural healthcare.
Source: Sanford Health
Oct 6, 2026 - Notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), on behalf of the Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services (FICEMS), seeking comments on the nationwide implementation of prehospital blood transfusion. Specifically, NHTSA seeks comments on strategies, barriers, and solutions to advance prehospital blood transfusion capabilities across state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency medical services (EMS) and 911 systems. Includes questions to which NHTSA is seeking responses. Comments are due by November 5, 2026.
Source: Federal Register