Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Funding

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook: A Roadmap for Delivering Opportunity and Investments in Rural America
Information to help rural communities understand the infrastructure funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other sources. Identifies programs and sources of funding set aside for rural communities. Also explains key flexibilities and other benefits available to rural communities under the law.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: The White House
view details
Addressing Social Determinants of Health: Examples of Successful Evidence-Based Strategies and Current Federal Efforts
Provides an overview of efforts to address social determinants of health (SDOH) that impact people of color, LGBTQ+ persons, individuals living in rural areas, and people with disabilities. Discusses housing, food and nutrition, transportation, social and economic mobility, and social service connections in terms of community (upstream) and individual (downstream) SDOH impacts.
Author(s): Amelia Whitman, Nancy De Lew, Andre Chappel, et al.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
view details
The Provider Relief Fund: Frequently Asked Questions
Provides an overview of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), which was established in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to reimburse eligible health care providers for increased expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19. Offers answers to frequently asked questions regarding how funds have been allocated and provider reporting requirements. Includes information on the relationship between the PRF and funding appropriated through the American Rescue Plan Act for rural providers.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details
COVID-19 and the Rural Health Workforce: The Impact of Federal Pandemic Funding to Address Workforce Needs
Policy brief describing workforce challenges faced by rural healthcare delivery systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, and discussing how pre-pandemic financial instability in rural healthcare facilities may have contributed to these challenges. Discusses the availability of federal pandemic funding to address rural health workforce needs, the ability of rural facilities to access and utilize the funding, and the long-term needs of the rural health workforce and delivery system. Addresses telehealth solutions to workforce challenges, and funding sources for mental health needs of health professionals
Author(s): Natalia V. Oster, Davis G. Patterson, Susan M. Skillman, Bianca K. Frogner
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
view details
Indian Health Service: Relief Funding and Agency Response to COVID-19 Pandemic
Describes the COVID-19 relief funding for Indian Health Service (IHS), tribal, and urban Indian organization health facilities and how the funds were used to meet immediate and longstanding system needs. Discusses the initial IHS response to the pandemic and steps IHS took to address challenges that its hospitals faced responding to the pandemic.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
USDA Rural Housing Programs: An Overview
Outlines housing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Rural Housing Service (RHS) and targeted specifically to residents of rural communities. Describes trends related to Section 502 Direct and Guaranteed Loans. Highlights policy proposals regarding multifamily housing preservation and the administration of rural housing programs. Includes information on the appropriations of rural housing programs between fiscal years 2017-2021.
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details
Structural Factors That Impact Rural Life Expectancy
Policy position paper focused on challenges to improving life expectancy in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to address health outcomes in rural populations.
Author(s): Bryan Price, Elizabeth Ruen, Wade Swenson
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
2021 FTA Section 5310 Compendium
Provides an overview of the Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program, which is designed to support the specialized transportation needs of older adults and people with disabilities. Discusses the role of Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) using Section 5310 funding to develop and manage accessible transportation programs. Includes case studies and examples of how AAAs used Section 5310 funding, including programs serving rural residents.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
view details
Pandemic Increases Pressure on Rural Hospitals & Communities: Vulnerability, Health Inequity and Staffing Crisis Amplified in Pandemic's Third Year
Examines the stability of the rural healthcare safety net. Discusses disparities between rural and urban communities and communities with hospitals vulnerable to closure. Describes the benefits of COVID-19 relief funding on rural hospitals and how scheduled reimbursement cuts and staffing shortages could impact hospitals' financial stability. Also discusses how staffing shortages impact access to obstetrics and chemotherapy care in rural areas.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
view details
Meeting the Behavioral Health Needs of Farm Families in Times of Economic Distress
Offers strategies to support development and integration of behavioral health services across healthcare and community-based organizations, including leveraging payment systems to support coordinated care for farm families and aligning federal grant programs to address mental health and substance use disorders. Features recommendations including integrating primary and behavioral care for initial treatment of mental health and substance abuse concerns, expanding the workforce to improve rural behavioral health services capacity, increasing telehealth services, and expanding private and public insurance coverage.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Alva O. Ferdinand, Alana Knudson, et al.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
view details