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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

New York Rural Primary Care Workforce
Offers maps and tables of the primary care workforce distribution in New York in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Pain in the Nation 2026: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths
Report focuses on alcohol, drug, and mortality statistics and trends, with a special feature on suicide and well-being in the United States. Includes data on substance use and mortality, with U.S. maps showing overdose and suicide rates, breakdowns according to metro versus nonmetro location, and state-by-state statistical trends. Provides policy recommendations to address substance use and offers examples from rural areas.
Author(s): Molly Warren, Lauren Battle
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Pursuing Cultural Competence in Rural Mental Health
Offers best practices for mental health practitioners treating patients in rural communities, particularly through telehealth. Discusses rural culture and stereotypes, patient and provider trust, access to resources, broadband access, and provider burnout.
Author(s): Ashley Abramson
Citation: Monitor on Psychology, 57(4), 74
Date: 06/2026
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Preventing Death and Supporting Recovery, with Ray Antonacci and Sarah Czarnecki
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Lincoln County Ambulance District Chief Ray Antonacci and Battalion Chief Sarah Czarnecki. Focuses on a new initiative allowing them to administer buprenorphine to incarcerated individuals experiencing opioid withdrawal symptoms. Part 1 in a 3-part series featuring the 2026 Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) Innovation Tank finalists.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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State-Level Impacts of Key Medicaid Provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Explores the potential impacts of 12 healthcare provisions within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21) on Medicaid and state budgets. Presents estimated impacts for each state provision-by-provision and overall. Includes analysis related to Medicaid determination, provider taxes, state-directed payments, work requirements, and the Rural Health Transformation Program.
Author(s): Preethi Rao, Lawrence Baker, Federico Girosi, et al.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Vermont 2025 Fatal Overdose Report
Offers data on overdose deaths in Vermont through 2025, including drug types, manner of death, trends over time, and demographic characteristics. Features county-level maps showing rates of overdose by county of residence and by county of death.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Vermont Department of Health
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"If I Have Any Problems, I Just Want to See My [Primary Care] Doctor": Perspectives on a Proposed Collaborative RUral PALliative Care Intervention (RuPal)
Explores perspectives on a proposed palliative care intervention among 26 heart failure patients, caregivers, and primary care providers in rural Maine. Discusses perspectives on trust in primary care versus specialist-delivered palliative care and facilitators of effective palliative care collaborations.
Author(s): Eric C. Anderson, Susan DeSanto-Madeya, Nicole Hudak, et al.
Citation: BMC Palliative Care, 25, 199
Date: 05/2026
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From Conversation to Completion: Identifying Conversation Elements to Support Effective Shared Decision-Making for Lung Cancer Screening in Rural Primary Care
Evaluates how aspects of the shared decision-making (SDM) process influence lung cancer screening behaviors and attitudes among rural adults via a survey of 173 rural Appalachian West Virginians. Discusses information sources, provider conversation elements, topics discussed, practical considerations, and more.
Author(s): Dannell Boatman, Bethany Barone Gibbs, Lesley Cottrell, et al.
Citation: BMC Primary Care, 27, 255
Date: 05/2026
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Virginia's Nursing Home Administrator Workforce: 2026
An overview of the nursing home administrator (NHA) workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2026 Nursing Home Administrator Workforce Survey. Features statistics including the number of NHAs in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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Virginia's Assisted Living Facility Administrator Workforce: 2026
An overview of the assisted living facility administrator (ALFA) workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2026 Assisted Living Facility Administrator Workforce Survey. Features statistics including the number of ALFAs in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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