Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access
Report on the Mental Health Program for Veterans for Fiscal Year 2025
Reports on the Texas Health and Human Service Commission (HHSC) and Texas Veterans Commission's (TVC) programs to ensure access to behavioral health services for service members, veterans, and their family members (SMVF) during fiscal year 2025 in Texas. Highlights the needs of rural SMVF throughout, and discusses services provided by the Rural Veteran Counselor (RVC) program.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
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Reports on the Texas Health and Human Service Commission (HHSC) and Texas Veterans Commission's (TVC) programs to ensure access to behavioral health services for service members, veterans, and their family members (SMVF) during fiscal year 2025 in Texas. Highlights the needs of rural SMVF throughout, and discusses services provided by the Rural Veteran Counselor (RVC) program.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
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Policy Trends Shaping Access to Care in 2026
Discusses policy efforts designed to support access to care, focusing on issues such as a community-based health workforce, mid-life women's healthcare, telehealth, and more. Examines policy enacted to stabilize and improve rural healthcare access.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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Discusses policy efforts designed to support access to care, focusing on issues such as a community-based health workforce, mid-life women's healthcare, telehealth, and more. Examines policy enacted to stabilize and improve rural healthcare access.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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Public Health Ethics and Stakeholder Engagement: Considerations and Practices for Local Health Departments
Toolkit providing strategies and resources on the use of stakeholder engagement to support public health ethics in local health departments. Includes action steps and case studies, and highlights ethical considerations related to community engagement and collaboration. See PDF pages 12-14 for a case study on access to care in rural areas.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Toolkit providing strategies and resources on the use of stakeholder engagement to support public health ethics in local health departments. Includes action steps and case studies, and highlights ethical considerations related to community engagement and collaboration. See PDF pages 12-14 for a case study on access to care in rural areas.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Access To Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners In Kentucky
Report assessing access to sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) and SANE-ready hospitals in 2025 in Kentucky. Offers 10 recommendations to increase access through hospital certifications, training, resource and workforce sharing, compliance, and more. Discusses rural-specific concerns throughout.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Legislative Research Commission
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Report assessing access to sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) and SANE-ready hospitals in 2025 in Kentucky. Offers 10 recommendations to increase access through hospital certifications, training, resource and workforce sharing, compliance, and more. Discusses rural-specific concerns throughout.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Legislative Research Commission
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Engagement and Retention in HIV Care in Rural Southern U.S. Using an All-Payer Claims Database
Analyzes HIV care engagement and retention among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Arkansas, utilizing 2013-2017 Arkansas All-Payer Claims Database data. Includes data and discussion of HIV access disparities in Arkansas by rurality, sex, and other demographic variables.
Author(s): Jun Tao, Mofan Gu, S. Alexandra Marshall, et al.
Citation: PLOS ONE, 20(12), e0339520
Date: 12/2025
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Analyzes HIV care engagement and retention among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Arkansas, utilizing 2013-2017 Arkansas All-Payer Claims Database data. Includes data and discussion of HIV access disparities in Arkansas by rurality, sex, and other demographic variables.
Author(s): Jun Tao, Mofan Gu, S. Alexandra Marshall, et al.
Citation: PLOS ONE, 20(12), e0339520
Date: 12/2025
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Use of Telehealth in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Areas, United States 2021-2023
Statistical brief on differences in telehealth use in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan areas, utilizing 2021-2023 AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC) data. Breaks down rural and urban frequency of telehealth use by specialty, primary source of payment, and more.
Author(s): Sandra Decker
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Statistical brief on differences in telehealth use in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan areas, utilizing 2021-2023 AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC) data. Breaks down rural and urban frequency of telehealth use by specialty, primary source of payment, and more.
Author(s): Sandra Decker
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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State of the U.S. Maternal Health Workforce, 2025
Offers demographic and occupational data on the maternal health workforce. Data sources include various years between 2021 and 2023. Includes current and projected comparisons of the workforce with the female population of childbearing age. Table 4 includes distribution of maternal health physicians compared with the population of women of childbearing age for large metropolitan, medium metropolitan, small metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas in 2023.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Offers demographic and occupational data on the maternal health workforce. Data sources include various years between 2021 and 2023. Includes current and projected comparisons of the workforce with the female population of childbearing age. Table 4 includes distribution of maternal health physicians compared with the population of women of childbearing age for large metropolitan, medium metropolitan, small metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas in 2023.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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"Sacred Ground for Kids": Institutional Perspectives on Rural School-Based Health Centers as Patient-Centered Medical Homes
Presents a study on the role school-based health centers (SBHCs) play in providing care to children in rural counties and explores the potential for SBHCs to function as patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) for rural students. Highlights findings from interviews in four rural counties in New York and identifies challenges for SBHCs functioning as a PCMH.
Author(s): Xue Zhang, Mildred E. Warner
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(4), e70098
Date: 12/2025
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Presents a study on the role school-based health centers (SBHCs) play in providing care to children in rural counties and explores the potential for SBHCs to function as patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) for rural students. Highlights findings from interviews in four rural counties in New York and identifies challenges for SBHCs functioning as a PCMH.
Author(s): Xue Zhang, Mildred E. Warner
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(4), e70098
Date: 12/2025
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Rural Health Transformation Program State Application Summary: State-level Initiatives & Proposed Activities
Summarizes focus areas for each state in the applications for the Rural Health Transformation Program and highlights common themes across all applications.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Summarizes focus areas for each state in the applications for the Rural Health Transformation Program and highlights common themes across all applications.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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American Cancer Society's Report on the Status of Cancer Disparities in the United States, 2025
Reports on cancer disparities by various demographic factors, socioeconomic status, geography, and other factors, utilizing 2018-2022 North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) data. Contains metropolitan versus nonmetropolitan data comparisons throughout, and discusses factors influencing access to cancer screening and treatment, including rurality.
Author(s): Farhad Islami, Gladys Arias, Dongjun Lee, et al.
Citation: CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 76(1), e70045
Date: 12/2025
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Reports on cancer disparities by various demographic factors, socioeconomic status, geography, and other factors, utilizing 2018-2022 North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) data. Contains metropolitan versus nonmetropolitan data comparisons throughout, and discusses factors influencing access to cancer screening and treatment, including rurality.
Author(s): Farhad Islami, Gladys Arias, Dongjun Lee, et al.
Citation: CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 76(1), e70045
Date: 12/2025
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