Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community and economic development
Thriving Communities Transportation Toolkit
A transportation toolkit that provides resources, guidance, and success stories related to transportation and infrastructure projects in rural and tribal communities. Focuses on finding opportunities, building teams, developing a project, financing, and maintaining infrastructure.
Author(s): Shane Hampton
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Main Street America
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A transportation toolkit that provides resources, guidance, and success stories related to transportation and infrastructure projects in rural and tribal communities. Focuses on finding opportunities, building teams, developing a project, financing, and maintaining infrastructure.
Author(s): Shane Hampton
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Main Street America
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Appalachian Regional Commission Performance & Accountability Report: Fiscal Year 2025
Provides an overview of the Appalachian Regional Commission's (ARC) projects from 2025 that develop economy, promote education and healthy living, invest in infrastructure, strengthen natural and cultural heritage, and build capacity in the Appalachian region. Includes healthcare-focused discussions about substance use, healthcare grants, healthcare workforce, and more.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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Provides an overview of the Appalachian Regional Commission's (ARC) projects from 2025 that develop economy, promote education and healthy living, invest in infrastructure, strengthen natural and cultural heritage, and build capacity in the Appalachian region. Includes healthcare-focused discussions about substance use, healthcare grants, healthcare workforce, and more.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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SBA's Rural Activities
Describes the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) programs targeting rural small businesses. Discusses how SBA coordinates with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on rural small business issues, the history of the SBA Office of Rural Affairs, and considerations for Congress.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Describes the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) programs targeting rural small businesses. Discusses how SBA coordinates with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on rural small business issues, the history of the SBA Office of Rural Affairs, and considerations for Congress.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Creating Rural Physician Training Sites: Not Easy, Not Simple, But Happening With Federal Support
Features insights from Rural Residency Planning and Development grantees in Georgia, Oregon, and Missouri. Focuses on the challenges, successes, and community impact of their new rural residency startup work.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Features insights from Rural Residency Planning and Development grantees in Georgia, Oregon, and Missouri. Focuses on the challenges, successes, and community impact of their new rural residency startup work.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Distribution of Block Grant Funding: Considerations for Rural Communities
Analyzes the allocation of federal block grant funding from states to local communities via case studies of public health, community development, and substance use treatment funding distribution in six states. Highlights barriers and facilitators of rural funding, including agency staffing, flexibility, and cooperation and state-by-state variation in approaches to rurality.
Author(s): Kate E. Beatty, Casey P. Balio, Margaret M. Francisco, Michael B. Meit, Stephanie M. Mathis
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
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Analyzes the allocation of federal block grant funding from states to local communities via case studies of public health, community development, and substance use treatment funding distribution in six states. Highlights barriers and facilitators of rural funding, including agency staffing, flexibility, and cooperation and state-by-state variation in approaches to rurality.
Author(s): Kate E. Beatty, Casey P. Balio, Margaret M. Francisco, Michael B. Meit, Stephanie M. Mathis
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
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Delta Regional Authority 2024 Annual Report
Discusses the Delta Regional Authority's strategic investments, programming, and initiatives throughout 2024. Focuses on critical and human infrastructure, public works, capacity building, workforce opportunities and health system improvements in rural areas, and more.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Delta Regional Authority
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Discusses the Delta Regional Authority's strategic investments, programming, and initiatives throughout 2024. Focuses on critical and human infrastructure, public works, capacity building, workforce opportunities and health system improvements in rural areas, and more.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Delta Regional Authority
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Building Healthier Rural Communities: Economic Development Districts Address Social Determinants of Health
Report outlining social determinants of health (SDOH) in rural areas and how Economic Development Districts (EDD) address them. Highlights workforce, infrastructure, food security, health, disaster preparedness, funding, data, and public-private partnerships. Includes a case study from an EDD in North Carolina and highlights the role of hospitals in the community.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Economic Development District Community of Practice, National Association of Development Organizations
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Report outlining social determinants of health (SDOH) in rural areas and how Economic Development Districts (EDD) address them. Highlights workforce, infrastructure, food security, health, disaster preparedness, funding, data, and public-private partnerships. Includes a case study from an EDD in North Carolina and highlights the role of hospitals in the community.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Economic Development District Community of Practice, National Association of Development Organizations
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Rural Hospital Philanthropy: Community Awareness and Willingness to Donate to the Georgia Rural Hospital Tax Credit Program
Examines awareness of and willingness to participate in Georgia's Rural Hospital Tax Credit program, utilizing survey data of 940 people living in rural South Georgia communities served by eligible local hospitals. Includes data on associations between willingness to donate to rural hospitals and satisfaction with hospital quality, tax credit program awareness, and demographic factors such as household income and educational attainment. Discusses philanthropy as a source of financial support for rural hospitals.
Author(s): Linda Kimsey, Bettye A. Apenteng, Samuel T. Opoku, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 25, 980
Date: 07/2025
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Examines awareness of and willingness to participate in Georgia's Rural Hospital Tax Credit program, utilizing survey data of 940 people living in rural South Georgia communities served by eligible local hospitals. Includes data on associations between willingness to donate to rural hospitals and satisfaction with hospital quality, tax credit program awareness, and demographic factors such as household income and educational attainment. Discusses philanthropy as a source of financial support for rural hospitals.
Author(s): Linda Kimsey, Bettye A. Apenteng, Samuel T. Opoku, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 25, 980
Date: 07/2025
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The Impact of Rural Hospital Closures and Mergers on Health System Ecologies: A Scoping Review
Examines 46 studies on rural hospital closures and mergers between 2010 to 2023, with a focus on understanding health system impacts, finances, workforce, utilization, access to facilities and services, and community and economic well-being.
Author(s): Alison Coates, Janice Probst, Kanika Sarwal, Suhaib Riaz, Agnes Grudniewicz
Citation: Medical Care Research and Review, 82(5)
Date: 07/2025
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Examines 46 studies on rural hospital closures and mergers between 2010 to 2023, with a focus on understanding health system impacts, finances, workforce, utilization, access to facilities and services, and community and economic well-being.
Author(s): Alison Coates, Janice Probst, Kanika Sarwal, Suhaib Riaz, Agnes Grudniewicz
Citation: Medical Care Research and Review, 82(5)
Date: 07/2025
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Community Development in Rural Health Toolkit
A toolkit that provides local strategies, planning resources, assessment tools, evidence-based models, templates, and case studies related to rural health community development. Focuses on 5 key theories of rural community health development: social capital, asset-based community development, appreciative inquiry, participatory development, and collective impact model.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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A toolkit that provides local strategies, planning resources, assessment tools, evidence-based models, templates, and case studies related to rural health community development. Focuses on 5 key theories of rural community health development: social capital, asset-based community development, appreciative inquiry, participatory development, and collective impact model.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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