Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document
Southward Expansion of Ixodes scapularis (Blacklegged) Tick Pathogens — Western North Carolina, November 2024–August 2025
Reports findings from community-based tick surveillance in Western North Carolina. Discusses the need to improve early diagnosis and reduce transmission of tickborne infections in southern Appalachia, a region where Lyme disease is emerging.
Author(s): Sean Sweeney, Ayla Bullock, Michael Reiskind, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 75(31), 398-402
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Reports findings from community-based tick surveillance in Western North Carolina. Discusses the need to improve early diagnosis and reduce transmission of tickborne infections in southern Appalachia, a region where Lyme disease is emerging.
Author(s): Sean Sweeney, Ayla Bullock, Michael Reiskind, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 75(31), 398-402
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Expansion of Access to Rheumatology Care for Rural Veterans: Program Development and Initial Feasibility of the National Tele-Rheumatology Program Using the RE-AIM Framework
Presents a study exploring the feasibility of the National Tele-Rheumatology Program (NTRP) hub-and-spoke model to expand access to rheumatology care for rural veterans. Discusses the program's design and implementation and evaluates outcomes based on surveys of veterans and staff interviews. Compares findings by rural and urban settings.
Author(s): Gabriela Schmajuk, Cherish R. Wilson, Catherine Nasrallah, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(3), e70198
Date: 08/2026
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Presents a study exploring the feasibility of the National Tele-Rheumatology Program (NTRP) hub-and-spoke model to expand access to rheumatology care for rural veterans. Discusses the program's design and implementation and evaluates outcomes based on surveys of veterans and staff interviews. Compares findings by rural and urban settings.
Author(s): Gabriela Schmajuk, Cherish R. Wilson, Catherine Nasrallah, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(3), e70198
Date: 08/2026
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Stories from the Field - Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being
Describes the 7 Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being framework: belonging, health and safety, housing, work and wealth, lifelong learning, thriving natural world, and transportation. Provides examples from health centers focused on these vital conditions, including rural examples such as the Agricultural Worker Health Program in South Carolina and CareVan in Kansas.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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Describes the 7 Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being framework: belonging, health and safety, housing, work and wealth, lifelong learning, thriving natural world, and transportation. Provides examples from health centers focused on these vital conditions, including rural examples such as the Agricultural Worker Health Program in South Carolina and CareVan in Kansas.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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Economic and Housing Recovery Three Years After the Maui Wildfires: Findings from the Maui Recovery Survey
Reports on how economic and housing conditions have changed over time in areas affected by Hawaii's August 2023 Maui wildfires. Includes data on displacement, housing stability, rental costs, employment, poverty, unmet needs, and more.
Author(s): Daniela Bond-Smith, Sophia Davis, Caleb Wood
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: University of Hawai'i Economic Research Organization
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Reports on how economic and housing conditions have changed over time in areas affected by Hawaii's August 2023 Maui wildfires. Includes data on displacement, housing stability, rental costs, employment, poverty, unmet needs, and more.
Author(s): Daniela Bond-Smith, Sophia Davis, Caleb Wood
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: University of Hawai'i Economic Research Organization
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The Role of Rurality on Self-Reported Sleep and Cognition in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Preliminary Study
Presents a study aiming to understand the way rurality impacts the relationship between sleep and cognition in aging adults. Breaks down participants' self-reported sleep, objective cognition, working memory, and executive function, among other measures, and compares rates of individuals from rural and non-rural areas.
Author(s): Madison Musich, Amy N. Costa, Puja Halder, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 26(3), 10695
Date: 08/2026
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Presents a study aiming to understand the way rurality impacts the relationship between sleep and cognition in aging adults. Breaks down participants' self-reported sleep, objective cognition, working memory, and executive function, among other measures, and compares rates of individuals from rural and non-rural areas.
Author(s): Madison Musich, Amy N. Costa, Puja Halder, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 26(3), 10695
Date: 08/2026
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Health Center Program Scope of Project Policy Manual
Provides information on Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) current and future scope of project decisions and requests. Consolidates project policies, clarifies program oversight and decision-making, facilitates correct procedures and accountability, and simplifies forms and requirements.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Primary Health Care
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Provides information on Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) current and future scope of project decisions and requests. Consolidates project policies, clarifies program oversight and decision-making, facilitates correct procedures and accountability, and simplifies forms and requirements.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Primary Health Care
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Integrating Physical and Behavioral Health: Addressing Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders with Chronic Physical Illnesses
Report details the way physical and behavioral healthcare integration can support patients with co-occurring behavioral health disorders and chronic physical issues. Discusses the different levels of care integration, evidence-based approaches, and established models for care integration in different settings. Highlights a rural clinic-based telepsychiatry model in South Carolina.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Report details the way physical and behavioral healthcare integration can support patients with co-occurring behavioral health disorders and chronic physical issues. Discusses the different levels of care integration, evidence-based approaches, and established models for care integration in different settings. Highlights a rural clinic-based telepsychiatry model in South Carolina.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Disparities in Access to Medicare-Approved Medical Specialists in Rural Kentucky
Describes healthcare disparities among rural Kentucky communities by examining the potential distance required to access specialty care. Features statistics with breakdowns by medical specialty and rural, urban, or mixed-designated ZIP codes, and a county-level map with shadings showing county designations based on eligibility for rural healthcare grants through the Department of Health and Human Services.
Author(s): Logan Hurm, Jacob A. Welch, James Adkins
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 8(2), 1-13
Date: 08/2026
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Describes healthcare disparities among rural Kentucky communities by examining the potential distance required to access specialty care. Features statistics with breakdowns by medical specialty and rural, urban, or mixed-designated ZIP codes, and a county-level map with shadings showing county designations based on eligibility for rural healthcare grants through the Department of Health and Human Services.
Author(s): Logan Hurm, Jacob A. Welch, James Adkins
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 8(2), 1-13
Date: 08/2026
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Deaths of Despair Among Cancer Survivors in Rural/Urban Appalachia (2000-2022)
Compares deaths of despair trends among adults with cancer across Appalachian and non-Appalachian regions. Features statistics on year-by-year incidence-based mortality rates, with breakdowns by sex, urban or rural location, and region, and mortality rates for these groups in 2000 and 2022.
Author(s): Jason Semprini, Anders Erickson, Nosa Osazuwa-Peters
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 8(2), 14-28
Date: 08/2026
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Compares deaths of despair trends among adults with cancer across Appalachian and non-Appalachian regions. Features statistics on year-by-year incidence-based mortality rates, with breakdowns by sex, urban or rural location, and region, and mortality rates for these groups in 2000 and 2022.
Author(s): Jason Semprini, Anders Erickson, Nosa Osazuwa-Peters
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 8(2), 14-28
Date: 08/2026
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School-Centered Tobacco Retailer Exposure and Neighborhood Opportunity Across Urban and Rural Tennessee
Examines the association between neighborhood opportunity and school-centered tobacco retailer exposure in Tennessee, including differences by rural or urban areas and Appalachian status. Features statistics and county-level maps with shadings showing school-centered tobacco retail exposure and tract-level quintiles of the Child Opportunity Index state percentile.
Author(s): Sima Namin, Jacob Black, Jennifer Ferris, Robert E. Heidel
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 8(2), 29-52
Date: 08/2026
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Examines the association between neighborhood opportunity and school-centered tobacco retailer exposure in Tennessee, including differences by rural or urban areas and Appalachian status. Features statistics and county-level maps with shadings showing school-centered tobacco retail exposure and tract-level quintiles of the Child Opportunity Index state percentile.
Author(s): Sima Namin, Jacob Black, Jennifer Ferris, Robert E. Heidel
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 8(2), 29-52
Date: 08/2026
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