Rural Health
News by Topic: Population health
May 5, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seeking comments on an information collection request titled "Message Testing for Tobacco Communication Activities (MTTCA)." MTTCA is designed to collect information about adult smokers' and nonsmokers' attitudes and perceptions towards tobacco, and to pretest draft messages and materials for clarity, salience, appeal, and persuasiveness. Comments are due July 6, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 5, 2026 - According to research done for the Appalachian Regional Commission, deaths associated with drug overdoses, alcohol, and suicide have been declining, but Appalachian deaths of despair remain 33% higher than those in the rest of the U.S. People born between 1981-1999 are among those most affected by deaths of despair.
Source: The Daily Yonder
FDA: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; National Youth Tobacco Survey
Federal Register
May 4, 2026 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking comments on a proposed information collection project titled "National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) 2027-2029." Information collected through the NYTS is used to identify trends in youth tobacco use over time, and to inform the development of public education campaigns, policies and rules, and compliance and enforcement programs for tobacco products. Comments are due by July 6, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 1, 2026 - The Nez Perce Tribe's Nimiipuu Health Clinic and the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center at the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation offer diabetes management programs, providing patients access to registered dietitians, fitness classes and cooking classes.
Source: Northwest Public Broadcasting
Apr 30, 2026 - Summarizes recent research finding a barrier in access to newer neuroendocrine tumor screening and treatment equipment for rural communities. The study compares use of gallium-based and copper-based tracers with patient commute, finding that copper-based tracers were more likely to be used in rural communities due to a significantly longer half-life of the copper agent. Discusses the benefits of copper agents in reducing access challenges for rural communities.
Source: Radiology Business
Apr 29, 2026 - Describes rural disparities in suicide rates and work one rural Utah community is doing to connect residents and students in crisis with mental health care and resources.
Source: Fox 13
Apr 28, 2026 - Describes the implementation of the value-based care model in rural Alaska and discusses the model as part of the Alaska's Rural Health Transformation Program plan.
Source: Alaska Public Media
Apr 28, 2026 - Profiles a University of Wisconsin-Madison medical student from a Puerto Rico island with no hospital and a primary care clinic destroyed by a hurricane in 2017. Describes the transportation specific barriers for accessing healthcare for island residents, challenges in attracting healthcare professionals to the island, and the student's intention to practice there.
Source: The Cap Times
Apr 27, 2026 - Describes a doctoral student's journey to and through public health as well as her research on pesticide exposure in pregnant farmworkers in Idaho.
Source: Boise State University
Apr 22, 2026 - Summarizes the Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence Innovation and Practice Conference where statewide and grant recipients leaders discussed health disparities and programs tackling those disparities.
Source: UTHSC News