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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community and economic development

Rural Healthcare Facilities Had Modest Job Growth, but No Measurable Employment Impact on Other Sectors
Reports findings from a study of employment trends in rural healthcare between 2001 and 2015. Discusses how changes in inpatient healthcare facility jobs affect total county employment, with a comparison of impacts for micropolitan and noncore counties.
Author(s): Cristina Miller
Citation: Amber Waves
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Integrating Economic Resilience in Performance-Based Transportation Planning
Details a report on community transportation planning based on economic performance. Discusses measures to factor in the demands of local economies and community wealth creation into transportation planning. Features several rural examples.
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Development Organizations
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Filling the Gap: USDA, Utility Co-ops Working to Bring Badly Needed Dental Services to Rural Iowans
Features the Fulfilling Iowa's Need for Dentists (FIND) program funded by USDA Rural Development via pass-through loans to several telephone and electric cooperatives to provide dental care to Iowa's rural communities. Details the development of FIND and the ways in which it helps place dentists in underserved areas. Story available starting on page 12.
Author(s): Darin Leach
Citation: Rural Cooperatives, 85(1), 12-13, 43
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Rural Development
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Golden Rules: Evaluating Retiree-Based Economic Development in Georgia
Analysis of demographic and economic trends in Georgia targeting recruitment of retirees to rural areas. Offers recommendations for retiree-based economic development, identifies 15 counties with high retiree attraction values, and describes the economic impacts of retirees.
Author(s): Jeffrey M. Humphreys, Beata D. Kochut
Citation: Economic Development Journal, 17(2), 53-58
Date: 2018
Type: Document
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Creating Connections What Broadband Means for Rural America
Offers articles on the challenges of providing broadband access in rural areas, federal policy options, and other local stakeholders working on solutions to build and strengthen rural communities. Includes discussion on how Garrett County, Maryland successfully expanded broadband access, and how tribes are building infrastructure to provide broadband access for their members.
Citation: Rural Voices, 22(2)
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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2018 Pennsylvania Map Database of Rural Development Projects and Program Areas
Presents a series of maps detailing the USDA Rural Development projects in Pennsylvania as of 2018. Breaks down relevant data, such as program investment, by county.
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Rural Development
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As the South Grows: Weathering the Storm
Discusses the impact of environmental change on the social and economic systems of the South and how climate change may disproportionately harm the South's already struggling communities. Presents opportunities and supporting information for foundations, hoping to encourage climate-related philanthropy throughout the South.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Ryan Schlegel, Stephanie Peng
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
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Independent Grocery Stores in the Changing Landscape of the U.S. Food Retail Industry
Examines the performance of independent U.S. grocery stores in 2015, and reports on changes in the prevalence and performance of these stores between 2005 and 2015. Highlights the important role of rural independent grocery stores as employers, tax generators, and sources of healthy and specialty foods.
Author(s): Clare Cho, Richard Volpe
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Measuring Impact of Broadband in 5 Rural MN Communities
Provides case studies exploring the impact of broadband investments in rural, Minnesota, including its uses for healthcare and economic development. Identifies the economic impact for each community.
Date: 10/2017
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Blandin Foundation
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Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity
Report from the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity identifying key opportunities for improving the well-being of America's rural communities and citizens. Provides recommendations to the President of the United States, focusing on five main areas: e-Connectivity, improving quality of life, supporting a rural workforce, harnessing technological innovation, and developing the rural economy.
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity
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