Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Frontier and remote areas

5-Year Strategic Plan: How Primary Care Investments Can Increase Access, Improve Quality, Lower Costs, Promote Health Equity & Address Workforce Needs
Details the New Mexico strategic plan to improve primary care by increasing access, improving healthcare quality, implementing financing reforms, promoting workforce sustainability, and integrating behavioral health into primary care. Discusses issues disproportionately represented in rural and frontier areas and provides county-level maps depicting social vulnerability and Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) recipients. Provides models and best practices in primary care with examples specific to rural areas.
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Primary Care Council
view details
Oregon Areas of Unmet Health Care Need Report 2022
Covers nine variables that describe areas of unmet healthcare need in Oregon and measure access to primary care, mental, and oral healthcare services. Areas of unmet need are scored based on variables within the following categories: availability of providers, ability to afford care, and utilization. Includes statistics and county-level information by service areas.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
view details
HAI/AR Rural, Frontier, and Small LHDs Exploratory Survey and In-Depth Interview Analysis & Resources
Provides information related to Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) issues in rural, frontier, and small local health departments (LHDs). Includes links to survey results regarding HAIs, AMR, and AMS initiatives; report on HAIs, AMR, and AMS-focused interviews held with LHDs and other rural partners; infographics to explain results of respective survey and report; and a 6-part blog series covering HAIs, AMR, and AMS issues.
Author(s): Jaclyn Abramson
Date: 12/2022
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
view details
Rural Local Health Department Partnership in Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS): In-Depth Interviews Report
Reports on an assessment of rural, frontier, and small local health departments (LHDs) and their engagement with Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) initiatives. Provides performance information on LHDs engaged in initiatives to address HAI, AMR, and AMS, barriers preventing LHDs from engaging in initiatives, and overall workforce development and capacity of LHDs. Discusses the May 2022 interviews of 11 LHD representatives and 2 non-local health departments and includes results and recommendations.
Additional links: Infographic
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Health Communications Consultants, Inc., National Association of County and City Health Officials
view details
Rural Local Health Department Partnership in Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS): Exploratory Survey Report
Provides results from an exploratory survey to identify and evaluate rural, frontier, and small local health departments (LHDs) engaged in Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) initiatives. Presents results from a March 2022 survey related to staff training and competency; barriers to engaging in HAI, AMR, and AMS initiatives; and collaborations used when engaging in initiatives.
Additional links: Infographic
Author(s): Sarah D. Matthews, Sandra Ruzycki
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Health Communications Consultants, Inc., National Association of County and City Health Officials
view details
RHCs, FQHCs, Tribal Clinics and CAHs in Rural Oregon
Shows a county-level map of Oregon identifying the Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), tribal clinics, and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Highlights rural, urban, and frontier areas.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
view details
Colorado: County Designations, 2022
Map of Colorado identifying counties based on urban, rural, or frontier designation.
Date: 01/2022
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Rural Health Center
view details
Evolving Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccines among Remote Alaskan Communities
Highlights a study on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among remote Alaskan communities. Details levels of vaccine hesitancy, vaccination, and feelings about the vaccine over the course of the pandemic. Breaks down participant data by age, race, and healthcare access, among other measures.
Author(s): Micah B. Hahn, Ruby L. Fried, Patricia Cochran, Laura P. Eichelberger
Citation: International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 81(1)
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
view details
Colorado: Rural Health Facilities within County Designations, 2022
Identifies Colorado counties by rural, urban, and frontier designations and the location of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs).
Date: 2022
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Rural Health Center
view details
What a Pandemic Has Taught Us About the Potential for Innovation in Rural Health: Commencing an Ethnography in Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Australia
Examines success stories of rural communities responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizes ethnographic research to explore healthcare response in communities with fewer than 7,000 inhabitants and not near large healthcare centers.
Author(s): Samuel Petrie, Dean Carson, Paul Peters, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 9
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
view details