New Resources Identified in the Past 30 Days:

Rural Healthcare Challenges Deepen as the Rural Health Transformation Program Ramps Up
Examines the impact of the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) program and the ongoing issues of rural hospital closures and financial losses, Medicaid policy, workforce shortages, diminishing access to rural healthcare services, and more. Discusses themes in state RHT applications and how they plan to utilize RHT funding.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Training in Place: How a Unique Scholarship Program Is Catalyzing Innovation in Rural Health
Examines the Rural Health Innovation Scholarship Program, which provides support to midcareer clinicians and public health professionals to address population health issues in rural communities. Discusses the work of the scholarship recipients, focusing on community engagement, healthcare financing, partnerships and collaboration, rural health policy, and more.
Author(s): Sarah Klein
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Advancing Rural Cancer Control: A Portfolio Analysis of Research Funded by the National Cancer Institute, 2016–2024
Highlights a study exploring cancer control-focused grants funded by the National Cancer Institute for research opportunities to identify methods to close rural and urban disparities in cancer outcomes. Details rural grants from 2016 to 2024, their healthcare focus, and location of cancer treated.
Author(s): Anna Gaysynsky, Sallie J. Weaver, Robin C. Vanderpool, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(1), e70120
Date: 01/2026
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The Economic Burden of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: The United States and the Heartland Region
Examines how mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUDs) affect healthcare spending and lost productivity in the heartland region of the United States, using 2016-2023 AHRQ MEPS data from seven selected states. See page 20 for discussion of rurality as a factor influencing MH/SUD treatment access.
Author(s): Alexandra F. Kritikos, Meg Hefferon, Devi Chelluri, MacKenzie L. Hughes
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: NORC at the University of Chicago
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Transforming Rural Health: Strategies from the Field - Food Insecurity
A brief that provides an overview on food insecurity in rural areas. Discusses examples of rural-focused food programs and their strategies to create partnerships, enhance food access, and improve health outcomes.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Health Policy Center
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An Examination of Geographic Proximity to Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation in Rural Versus Urban Tennessee Counties
Examines travel distance and time to outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (OCR) facilities in Tennessee counties. Provides rural versus urban comparisons of OCR facility access as well as county-level Tennessee maps showing myocardial infarction hospitalization rate and travel burden.
Author(s): Phoebe M. Tran, Benjamin Fogelson, Andrew B. Sorey, R. Eric Heidel, Raj Baljepally
Citation: Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 41(2), 120-124
Date: 07/2025
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Nevada Medicaid Cost Driver Analysis, 2025
Report analyzing 2016-2024 Medicaid data to determine drivers of healthcare costs in Nevada. Data analyzed by plan type, service category, geography, age, and sex.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Nevada Health Authority
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Patterns of Telehealth Use During Pregnancy and Postpartum Among Commercially Insured Women
Examines the use of telehealth among pregnant and postpartum women by rural versus urban location and type of service. Utilizes 2019-2021 data to examine telehealth visits by patient characteristics, predelivery versus postpartum use, service type, and rurality. Discusses the role of telehealth to access mental health services and differences between rural and urban telehealth use.
Author(s): Adit Doza, Lijing Ouyang, Donatus U. Ekwueme, et al.
Citation: Journal of Women's Health, 35(2)
Date: 02/2026
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Rural Sleep Health and Sleep Health Disparities among Children and Adults in the United States
Examines sleep health characteristics among rural populations in the United States. Utilizes 2020 and 2022 National Health Interview Survey data to analyze the sleep health of 1,429 children and 8,673 adults residing in nonmetro counties, focusing on demographic variables, socioeconomic variables, and sleep health.
Author(s): Symielle A. Gaston, Christopher W. Payne, William Braxton Jackson, II, Chandra L. Jackson
Citation: Sleep Health, 12(1), 39-51
Date: 02/2026
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Texas Cares Rx Annual Program Report, 2025
Reports on fiscal year 2025 costs, initiatives, feedback, and future considerations for Texas Cares Rx, a prescription drug cost savings program for uninsured Texans. Pages 9-10 summarize stakeholder feedback on rural health needs, including discussion of rural healthcare access gaps and pharmacy deserts.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
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