Minnesota resources via the Rural Health Information Hub

Resource: Minnesota Rural Health Transformation Program Funding

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 08:12:53 -0500

Lists funding opportunities available through the Minnesota Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to help implement Minnesota's approved RHTP initiatives and activities. -- Minnesota Department of Health

Resource: The State of Rural Minnesota: 2026

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 14:28:56 -0500

Presents an overview of rural Minnesota. Includes interactive county-level data and statistics on population migration, economic vitality, employment, income, demographics, rural versus urban comparisons, and more. -- Center for Rural Policy and Development

Resource: Migration in Rural Minnesota: A Nuanced Story

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 11:56:54 -0600

Discusses rural versus urban net migration patterns in different regions of Minnesota during the 2000s, the 2010s, and the COVID-19 pandemic era to 2025. Provides county-level maps and charts representing migration data according to Minnesota counties comprised of rural, town/rural, urban/town/rural mix, and entirely urban populations. -- Center for Rural Policy and Development

Resource: Longevity: Recommendations to Reduce Social Isolation and Enhance Social Connection in Rural Minnesota

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:01:19 -0600

Discusses the importance of social connection for long-term health in older adults as well as the barriers rural Minnesotans face in maintaining social connections. Provides recommendations for reducing social isolation, such as workforce and community engagement, community infrastructure, accessible programming, and more. -- Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care

Resource: Have Incomes Kept Up With Minnesota's Rising Cost of Living?

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 10:40:40 -0600

Discusses cost of living in relation to median household income in Minnesota. Provides interactive, county-level maps showing household income and cost of living changes from 2018 to 2024. -- Center for Rural Policy and Development

Resource: The Cost of Living in Minnesota: Highest in the Metro, Rising Fastest in Rural Areas

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 10:29:41 -0600

Examines cost of living across Minnesota counties and the economic variables driving costs. Utilizes Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) data to analyze hourly wages, housing, transportation, child care, and more. Provides interactive county-level maps to show cost of living changes. -- Center for Rural Policy and Development

Resource: Transportation for Rural People with Disabilities: Example Programs from Minnesota and Idaho

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:22:52 -0600

Results of a study examining two rural organizations in Marshall, Minnesota and Ketchum, Idaho and the ways in which they provide transportation services to individuals with disabilities. Uses data collected through interviews conducted via Zoom in May and June 2025. -- University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center

Event: 2026 Transforming Community and Rural Healthcare Symposium

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0600

Rochester MN
October 12, 2026

Resource: Minnesota Rural Health Transformation Program

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 10:40:36 -0600

Provides information on Minnesota's Rural Health Transformation Program. Includes links to a Minnesota's application, frequently asked questions, funding opportunities, and public comments received during the development of the application. -- Minnesota Department of Health

Resource: Minnesota Rural Obstetrical Workforce

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:33:30 -0500

Offers maps and tables of the obstetricians and advanced practice midwives workforce distribution in Minnesota in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Minnesota Rural Behavioral Health Workforce

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:31:31 -0500

Offers maps and tables of the supply and distribution of behavioral health clinicians in Minnesota in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Minnesota Rural Primary Care Workforce

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:26:32 -0500

Offers maps and tables of the primary care workforce distribution in Minnesota in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Resource: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center Annual Report, 2024-25

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:04:46 -0500

Reports on University of Minnesota (UMN) Rural Health Research Center activities such as programs and collaborations, project highlights, Flex Monitoring Team activities, the UMN Rural Health Program, policy and public impact, a list of publications, and more. -- University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Sun Protection Behavior Beliefs Among Adults Living in Rural United States: A Qualitative Study in Minnesota

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 16:29:50 -0500

Presents a study on perceptions and beliefs about sun-protective behavior among rural Minnesotans. Breaks down data by demographic characteristics, such as age, education, and whether participants had an outdoor job, among other measures. Looks at time spent outside and discusses participants' perceptions about protective behaviors.

Resource: Examining Trends in Polydrug Overdose Deaths Across Rural Midwest Counties in the United States, 2022 Through 2024

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 16:39:17 -0500

Highlights a study examining the presence of the drug xylazine in postmortem toxicology of drug overdose deaths in rural Minnesota. Breaks down data by county, drugs co-occurring with xylazine, and demographic characteristics of the deceased, among other measures.

Resource: International Medical Graduates Assistance Program: 2024 Report to the Minnesota Legislature

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:07:12 -0500

Examines Minnesota's International Medical Graduates Assistance Program and pathways to integrate immigrant international medical graduates (IMGs) into the healthcare system. Focuses on the role of IMGs in supporting healthcare access in rural areas of Minnesota, IMG workforce education programs and pathways, and establishing policy that allows IMGs to enter residency programs. -- Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care

Resource: Rural EMS Regionalization - Opportunities and Policy Considerations

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 09:04:51 -0500

Explores models of emergency medical services (EMS) at the state level. Includes a case study exploring successes in Minnesota and offers policy recommendations to overcome common rural EMS challenges. -- Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel

Resource: New Rural Residency Program Addresses Physician Shortage

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 10:04:36 -0500

Profiles the rural healthcare residency program at Grand Itasca Clinic & Hospital in Minnesota. Discusses the collaboration with the University of Minnesota Medical School and Fairview Health and the importance of giving medical residents experience in rural primary care. -- American Hospital Association

Resource: Seeking Connection: A Qualitative Study of Psychosocial Support Needs of Rural Cancer Survivors in Minnesota

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 21:17:51 -0500

Explores the psychosocial support needs of cancer patients and barriers to receiving support in rural Minnesota. Bases findings on focus group interviews of cancer survivors and highlights self-reported definitions of support in a rural context.

Resource: Gender Differences in Factors Associated with Rural Health Care Practice in Minnesota

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 15:33:21 -0500

Examines the sex-related factors in choosing to practice in a rural area. Analyzes 2021-2022 Minnesota Department of Health data according to healthcare profession, sex, race/ethnicity, and factors for choosing a rural location to practice, such as scope of practice, lifestyle, educational or internship options, and more.

Resource: Preventing Medical Debt among Rural Residents: Example Programs from Hospitals in Minnesota and Montana

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 14:16:01 -0500

Highlights the ways some rural hospitals are working to reduce medical debt for their patients. Presents a number of strategies from hospitals in Minnesota and Montana that aim to reduce patient medical debts through financial assistance programs and cost-cutting measures. Features case-studies reviewing the structure of each hospital's debt reduction efforts. -- University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Defining the Clinical and Procedural Opportunities Available to Residents During Rural Rotations

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 16:17:53 -0600

Results of a study to determine the rate at which emergency medicine residents at a large academic hospital in Minnesota were exposed to certain clinical and procedural experiences (CPEs) while on rural rotations, compared with their usual academic training hospital. Features patient demographics and statistics on CPEs with breakdowns by rural emergency department (ED) patients and academic ED patients.

Resource: Meeker Memorial Hospital: Bringing Sustainable Coordination of Care to its Patients and Community

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 10:49:21 -0600

Provides a profile of Meeker Memorial Hospital (MMH), a healthcare facility located in Minnesota and part of the 2022-2023 Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP). Discusses MMH's process to improve finances and operations, implement electronic medical record (EMR) training, partner with pharmacy schools, and more. -- National Rural Health Resource Center

Resource: Interconnected: The Future of Nursing Homes & Elder Care Across Minnesota

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 10:27:23 -0600

A recorded webinar in which an expert panel discusses the issue of an aging populace in Minnesota alongside a decrease in skilled nursing care capacity. Focuses on regional supply and demand data, business models and facility closures, and policy to improve elder care in Minnesota. Transcript available below description. -- Center for Rural Policy and Development

Resource: Minnesota Capacity of Nursing Facilities that Close

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 11:21:40 -0600

Discusses bed availability and capacity of nursing home facilities in rural Minnesota. Provides data on both open and closed nursing home facilities according to entirely rural, town/rural mix, urban/town/rural mix, or entirely urban location. -- Center for Rural Policy and Development

Resource: The Declining Capacity of Nursing Facility Care in Rural Minnesota

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 11:19:51 -0600

Discusses the increasing demand for professional long-term care in Minnesota alongside the decreasing capacity of nursing facility availability. Provides information and statistics on projected demand through 2045, number of available nursing facilities and beds, changes in demand trends, workforce needs, and more, with breakdowns according to county and urbanicity. -- Center for Rural Policy and Development

Resource: Expanding Telehealth Services and Access for Successful Maternal Care

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 15:28:13 -0600

A podcast episode that discusses maternal telehealth in Minnesota and telehealth programs that focus on reaching rural parts of the state. Features a conversation with Dr. Chris DeRienzo, podcast host, and Dr. Johnna Nynas, a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) at Sanford Health Bemidji. -- American Hospital Association

Resource: Minnesota Chartbook Section 5: Public Health Insurance Programs

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 13:19:42 -0500

Provides information on public insurance programs in Minnesota, including Medicare, Medical Assistance (Medicaid), and MinnesotaCare. Includes data on enrollment, spending, distribution of enrollees, and enrollee location by region and county. -- Minnesota Department of Health

Resource: State of Rural Preview: Nonemployer Receipts

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 16:15:08 -0500

Provides data and trends related to nonemployer receipts and personal income in Minnesota, with breakdowns according to entirely rural, town/rural mix, urban/town/rural mix, or entirely urban county. -- Center for Rural Policy and Development

Resource: Interconnected Youth Mental Health Crisis

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 12:02:21 -0500

A recorded webinar that discusses youth mental health in rural and urban Minnesota. Focuses on issues such as workforce shortages, risk and protective factors related to mental health, continuum of care, and more. Transcript available below description. -- Center for Rural Policy and Development