Rural Health
News by Topic: Population health
AHRQ: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
Federal Register
Mar 31, 2026 - The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is allowing an additional 30 days for comments on proposed revisions to an information collection titled "Medical Expenditures Panel Survey—Household Component, OMB No. 0935-0118." Proposed changes include revising the wording of 24 questions for clarity and to improve the response rate; replacing two exercise items on the 2022 MEPS Preventive Care Self-Administered Questionnaire (PSAQ) with five new items for exercise and strength training; adding questions to the PSAQ about use of sleep medication, trouble getting to sleep, screen time, use of wearable devices, self-assessed diet quality, fruit and vegetable consumption, meals eaten away from home, former smoking, and weight loss attempt; and more. Comments are due by April 30, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 30, 2026 - Describes the work of Nebraska researchers who are investigating treatment barriers and facilitators of success for rural people with addiction. Discusses the impact of both stigma and support networks in treatment.
Source: WJAG
Mar 30, 2026 - Describes the problems older adults in rural Ohio face in accessing food pantry programs they are eligible for due to transportation and mobility challenges. Notes proposed legislation that would assist food pantries with expanding food delivery services into more rural parts of their service area.
Source: The Ohio Newsroom
Mar 26, 2026 - Highlights a recently published report to discuss maternal healthcare and resource access challenges in rural Texas. Discusses telehealth and federal programs as potential solutions to those access challenges.
Source: KRWG, PBS, NPR
Mar 26, 2026 - Describes a telestroke program in Oklahoma connecting rural patients to specialty care. Discusses the funding that makes the program possible, plans to expand the program using Rural Health Transformation Program funding, and a similar program in Arkansas.
Source: KOSU, NPR
Mar 25, 2026 - Notice from the U.S. Census Bureau allowing an additional 30 days for comments on the December 5, 2025, notice regarding revisions to the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). NSCH is designed to collect data on the physical and emotional health of children age 18 and younger, including information related to access to healthcare, family interactions, and school and afterschool experiences, among other things. Comments are due within 30 days of this notice.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 25, 2026 - Highlights work in New Hampshire, Colorado, and Maine to turn public places into gathering spaces that support community needs, promote wellness and accessibility, social programs, and more.
Source: AARP
Mar 24, 2026 - Highlights the work of the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, a foundation with an interest in funding rural health projects. Describes how the Helmsley came to fund rural projects and some of the successful projects funded related to emergency care, cancer treatments, and residency programs, among other things.
Source: Newsday
Mar 24, 2026 - A new proposed California bill would create a program to provide menstrual products to female farmworkers in rural communities with high poverty rates. Discusses the lack of access to stores with hygiene products in rural areas.
Source: Imperial Valley Press
Mar 19, 2026 - Summarizes conversations at the Rural Health Transformation Summit on March 18, 2026, a meeting of state officials, experts, and federal administrators to discuss implementation of the Rural Health Transformation Plan. Discusses state program alignment with RHTP's 5 strategic goals: Make Rural America Healthy Again, sustainable access, workforce development, innovative care, and tech innovation. Notes the role of the Office of Rural Health Transformation (ORHT) within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS).
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services