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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention

Oct 22, 2026 - Executive Order from the Office of the President directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Women's Health Division within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Among other things, the Women's Health Division, in coordination with the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health, will increase the scientific review of women's health conditions in all phases of life that remain understudied or insufficiently understood; promote innovation and advanced research technologies to accelerate time to diagnosis and improve access to high-quality prevention, treatment, specialized healthcare services, personalized medicine, and coordinated care delivery for women's health conditions; and facilitate translation of scientific discoveries into clinical practice and public health implementation across federal, state, and local jurisdictions. This Executive Order also establishes the White House Women's Health Task Force, which will ensure that the federal government pursues a comprehensive approach to women's health that recognizes evolving health needs throughout the lifespan and will support necessary policy and regulatory reforms to ensure timely and stage-specific prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care for women.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 13, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking comments to inform the development of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition Supplement: 2027 Steps and Muscle-Strengthening Guidance. Specifically, HHS seeks comments regarding existing high-quality, evidence-based reports, programs, or campaigns related to steps and/or muscle-strengthening physical activity and related positive health outcomes. Comments are due by November 12, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Oct 13, 2026 - Notice from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) seeking comments on an information collection request titled "Healthy Start Evaluation and Quality Improvement, OMB No. 0915-0338—Revision." Proposed revisions include changes to clarifying instructions, updating response options to improve accuracy in reporting, and adding fields to capture the month of infant birth and/or death. Comments are due by November 12, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
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 5, 2026 - Announces awarded funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program which offers home visiting services for improved outcomes during pregnancy and early childhood. Notes that the program reaches families where services are more limited, including in rural communities.
Source: Health Resources and Services Administration
Oct 2, 2026 - Notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) seeking comments on a demonstration project proposed by Nebraska that would test changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that may improve the delivery of SNAP benefits to raise levels of nutrition among eligible households. If approved, Nebraska would amend the SNAP definition of food for purchase to exclude "soda, soft drinks, and energy drinks" with a proposed implementation date of December 1, 2026, and exclude "candy" with a proposed implementation date of March 1, 2027. Nebraska's full request is available on the FNA website. Comments are due by November 2, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Sep 14, 2026 - Describes the work of libraries to connect rural and tribal communities with tools and education promoting heart health through the American Heart Association's Libraries with Heart initiative. Discusses rural heart health risk and highlights how the program has been implemented in Florida, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
Source: National Rural Health Association
Aug 28, 2026 - Announces a new suicide prevention campaign in Oklahoma designed to reach certain groups with high rates of suicide including rural residents, tribal residents, older adults, veterans, and middle-aged men.
Source: Fox 23
Aug 25, 2026 - Discusses the work of 3 Minnesota-based researchers to address Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) in rural communities. Highlighted projects focus on tribal communities, overcoming barriers to exercise, and identifying innovative work in the ADRD space already happening in rural communities.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Aug 24, 2026 - Highlights recent research describing a successful automated phone counseling program aiming to increase physical activity among residents in 6 rural Alabama counties. Notes that increased exercise can positively impact rural health disparities.
Source: UAB News