Rural Health
News by Topic: Population health
Nov 5, 2025 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) announce that all 50 states applied for funding from the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP). RHTP goals include supporting rural health innovation, improving sustainability, workforce development, new models of care delivery, and expanding technology access and utilization. Funding decisions will be announced by December 31, 2025.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Nov 5, 2025 - Announces a new free training for rural first responders that increases agricultural health and safety knowledge for injury prevention and emergency preparedness.
Source: National Farm Medicine Center
Nov 5, 2025 - Offers data showing rural and urban differences in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) incidence and factors contributing to those higher rates. Discusses smoking, occupational hazards, access to healthcare, and social determinants of health. Notes effective approaches for overcoming these contributors to COPD.
Source: Loma Linda University Health News
Oct 31, 2025 - The Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) is opening a new office in rural North Carolina. Services offered include primary care, women's services, and behavioral health. Discusses disparities in care between rural and urban communities in the area, in part due to workforce shortages, and the mission of MAHEC to train and retain healthcare professionals.
Source: WLOS
Oct 30, 2025 - Describes rural healthcare challenges and opportunities for innovation in rural New York as discussed by a rural healthcare facility administrator. Includes topics such as healthcare access barriers, community partnerships, and telehealth.
Source: George Washington University, Milken Institute School of Public Health
Oct 30, 2025 - Describes community-wide efforts to combat an increase in suicides in rural Colorado. Highlights a mental health response team comprised of police and a mental health professional. Discusses rural specific drivers of suicide rates.
Source: The Colorado Sun
Oct 27, 2025 - Highlights the work of an Iowa researcher investigating the risk of exposure to antimicrobial-resistant genes for homes and rural communities in close proximity to concentrated animal feeding operations. Discusses the implications for not just farmworkers, but also their families.
Source: Iowa College of Public Health News
Oct 26, 2025 - Discusses the impact of the expansion of Medicaid dental benefits on the oral health of Missouri residents. Notes that areas with dental workforce shortages are less likely to feel the positive impact of increases in reimbursement rates.
Source: Kansas City Magazine
Oct 22, 2025 - Highlights the rural focus of the new Association of American Cancer Institutes president. Goals include developing a rural focused oversight committee, understanding the connection between ruralness and other social determinants of health, identifying best practices related to decreasing rural morbidity and mortality in cancer, and more.
Source: University of Nebraska Medical Center Newsroom
Oct 22, 2025 - Highlights the rural expansion of a Missouri program promoting meal planning, freezing meals, and sharing excess food. Discusses how the program promotes healthier eating for rural residents with higher rates of diet-related illness and other health disparities.
Source: MU Extension News