Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access
The Universal Service Fund and Related FCC Broadband Programs: Overview and Considerations for Congress
Provides an overview of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Universal Service Fund (USF) and its four programs: the High Cost Program, Lifeline Program, Schools and Libraries Program, and Rural Health Care Program. Outlines considerations for Congress for each program. Describes legislation introduced in the 119th Congress that would impact the USF programs.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Provides an overview of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Universal Service Fund (USF) and its four programs: the High Cost Program, Lifeline Program, Schools and Libraries Program, and Rural Health Care Program. Outlines considerations for Congress for each program. Describes legislation introduced in the 119th Congress that would impact the USF programs.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Maternal Health Access and Workforce Capacity in Rural Hawaii: Focus Group Findings Report
Discusses how maternal and infant health access and workforce availability vary across Hawaii's islands via focus group discussion of healthcare providers and other interested parties. Highlights barriers related to affordability, travel, workforce pathways, and more.
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organizations: Hawaii State Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, Hawaii State Rural Health Association
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Discusses how maternal and infant health access and workforce availability vary across Hawaii's islands via focus group discussion of healthcare providers and other interested parties. Highlights barriers related to affordability, travel, workforce pathways, and more.
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organizations: Hawaii State Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, Hawaii State Rural Health Association
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Improving Maternal Mental Health in Women With Serious Mental Illness
Report highlights gaps in maternal mental healthcare access and highlights promising practices aimed at closing those gaps in several states. Discusses factors that affect maternal mental health access, such as screening, workforce, training, and peer support, among others.
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Report highlights gaps in maternal mental healthcare access and highlights promising practices aimed at closing those gaps in several states. Discusses factors that affect maternal mental health access, such as screening, workforce, training, and peer support, among others.
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Updated Locations of Hospitals with a Labor and Delivery Unit in Pennsylvania, 2026
County-level map showing locations of the 75 Pennsylvania hospitals with labor and delivery units, and shadings showing counties with no labor and delivery units.
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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County-level map showing locations of the 75 Pennsylvania hospitals with labor and delivery units, and shadings showing counties with no labor and delivery units.
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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2024 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Provides a comprehensive summary and data analysis of healthcare quality and access in the U.S. Addresses access to healthcare, care affordability, healthy living, effective treatment, person-centered care, care coordination, and more.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Provides a comprehensive summary and data analysis of healthcare quality and access in the U.S. Addresses access to healthcare, care affordability, healthy living, effective treatment, person-centered care, care coordination, and more.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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The State of Health in Tennessee 2025: Annual Report to the 114th Tennessee General Assembly
Assesses the health status of Tennesseans across the four areas of the State Health Plan Framework: A Healthy Start, A Healthy Life, a Healthy Environment, and a Healthy System of Care. Includes a section on social determinants of health and features statistics on various populations and aspects of healthcare, including rural hospital closures.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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Assesses the health status of Tennesseans across the four areas of the State Health Plan Framework: A Healthy Start, A Healthy Life, a Healthy Environment, and a Healthy System of Care. Includes a section on social determinants of health and features statistics on various populations and aspects of healthcare, including rural hospital closures.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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The South Carolina Certified Nurse Midwife Workforce - 2022
Describes the certified nurse midwife (CNM) workforce in South Carolina using data from the 2022 nursing licensure renewal process ending April 30, 2022. Features demographics and statistics including change in the size of the South Carolina CNM workforce from 2012-2022 with breakdowns by 3 levels of population density, and a county-level map showing locations of active CNMs as of 2022, with shadings showing rural and urban counties.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium
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Describes the certified nurse midwife (CNM) workforce in South Carolina using data from the 2022 nursing licensure renewal process ending April 30, 2022. Features demographics and statistics including change in the size of the South Carolina CNM workforce from 2012-2022 with breakdowns by 3 levels of population density, and a county-level map showing locations of active CNMs as of 2022, with shadings showing rural and urban counties.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium
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Trends in Non-Emergency Medical Transportation During Medicaid Transformation in North Carolina
Examines the impact of Medicaid transformation on non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) services in North Carolina in the shift from fee-for-service (FFS) to Managed Care. Utilizes 2019-2023 Medicaid claims data to analyze NEMT service provision trends according to cost, travel mode, public versus private provider, and urban versus rural geography.
Author(s): Evan Iacobucci, Noreen McDonald
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 86(4)
Date: 12/2025
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Examines the impact of Medicaid transformation on non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) services in North Carolina in the shift from fee-for-service (FFS) to Managed Care. Utilizes 2019-2023 Medicaid claims data to analyze NEMT service provision trends according to cost, travel mode, public versus private provider, and urban versus rural geography.
Author(s): Evan Iacobucci, Noreen McDonald
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 86(4)
Date: 12/2025
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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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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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Openness to Mental Health Information and Barriers to Accessing Care Among Midwestern Farmers
Surveyed 1,024 midwestern farmers to determine their preferred sources for receiving mental health information and the stigma, instrumental, and attitudinal barriers in accessing mental healthcare.
Author(s): Courtney Cuthbertson, Samantha Iwinski, Asa Billington, Josie Rudolphi
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 23(1), 27
Date: 12/2025
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Surveyed 1,024 midwestern farmers to determine their preferred sources for receiving mental health information and the stigma, instrumental, and attitudinal barriers in accessing mental healthcare.
Author(s): Courtney Cuthbertson, Samantha Iwinski, Asa Billington, Josie Rudolphi
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 23(1), 27
Date: 12/2025
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