Healthcare Access in Rural Communities resources via the Rural Health Information Hub

News: HHS: Request for Information, Training and Care Delivery Models for Safe Administration of Potential FDA-Approved Psychedelic Therapies in Ambulatory Clinical Settings

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 08:54:18 -0500

The Department of Health and Human Services is seeking comments on training and care delivery models to ensure safe and effective use of psychedelic drugs. Questions for consideration include training regarding patient eligibility, drug administration, and post-administration follow up; access for Federally Qualified Health Centers, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, and Rural Health Clinics; and technologies that allow for expanded access while maintaining patient safety. Comments are due August 13, 2026.

Event: Expanding Access to Care in Rural Communities: Strategies to Better Serve People with Complex Health and Social Needs

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 08:32:22 -0500

-- Center for Health Care Strategies

Resource: Small Area Health Insurance Estimates: 2023

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:21:28 -0500

Reports on health insurance coverage in the U.S. in 2023 and changes between 2022 and 2023, as well as changes between 2019 and 2023. Includes maps showing county-level uninsured rates. -- U.S. Census Bureau

News: HRSA Extends Timeline for Review of Certain Health Professional Shortage Area Designations

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 09:11:51 -0500

Announcement from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) that State Primary Care Offices (PCOs) will have additional review time for Health Professional Shortage Areas identified through the 2025 National Shortage Designation Update as "proposed for withdrawal." PCOs may use the additional time to update data and submit revisions where appropriate before HRSA takes final action.

News: Mobile Health Tops Early RHTP Funding Trends

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:30:40 -0500

Describes mobile health programs in Rural Health Transformation Fund (RHTP) plans. Discusses the hub-and-spoke service delivery model, telemedicine, and remote patient monitoring as methods for increasing healthcare access using RHTP funds.

Event: 2027 32nd NRHA Health Access Conference

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 16:46:16 -0500

New Orleans LA
May 17, 2027 -- National Rural Health Association

Resource: Impact and Opportunities for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics in Rural Communities

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:28:19 -0500

Examines ways in which Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) are improving access to and quality of care in rural areas. Highlights opportunities and strategies for CCBHCs to fill service gaps in rural areas and to meet or exceed program requirements. -- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Resource: Access to and Provision of Child and Youth Behavioral Health Services in the Rural and Urban U.S.

Thu, 14 May 2026 11:18:28 -0500

Compiles findings from 9 reports on youth behavioral health in the rural U.S. Describes prevalence of behavioral health conditions, the youth behavioral health workforce, behavioral health licensure and reimbursement policy, and provision of youth behavioral health services. Features statistics with breakdowns by 7 levels of population density. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Resource: 2024 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:44:04 -0500

Provides a comprehensive summary and data analysis of healthcare quality and access in the U.S. Addresses access to healthcare, care affordability, healthy living, effective treatment, person-centered care, care coordination, and more. -- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Resource: Rural-Urban Variation in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Access among Commercially Insured Children and Adolescents

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:00:09 -0500

Details a study on the geographic factors that affect access to treatment for youth and adolescents, aged 0-17, with an opioid use disorder (OUD) and covered by commercial insurance in 2019. Discusses the effects of rurality, provider type, travel burden, and residing in a county without a clinician with a DEA waiver, among other measures. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Resource: A Roadmap for Building and Implementing a Comprehensive State Graduate Medical Education Strategy: Actionable Steps to Align Investments with Workforce Needs

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:44:25 -0500

Offers an evidence-based framework that organizes a graduate medical education (GME) growth strategy into 5 stages. Can be used as part of federal Rural Health Transformation Program activities to strengthen workforce recruitment and retention and to improve healthcare access in rural areas. Table 1 shows state GME models and technical assistance initiatives. -- Milbank Memorial Fund

Resource: Identification and Characteristics of Under-Resourced and High-Need Rural Counties

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:24:01 -0500

Describes how county-level data on healthcare workforce, chronic disease prevalence, and socioeconomic environment of rural communities can help policymakers identify the highest need counties for targeted policy initiatives and public health intervention. Features county-level U.S. maps showing geographic distribution of chronic disease burden, socioeconomic status, physician density, and overall resource need, with shadings showing level of need or nonrural status. -- University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center

Resource: County-Level Differences in Health Professional Shortage Areas by Rurality, Age, and Disability Status

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:39:06 -0500

Examines differences in healthcare access among working-age and older adults, by rurality and disability status. Features statistics including percents of counties qualifying as primary care, mental health, or dental Heath Professional Shortage Areas, with breakdowns by disability quartile and rural or urban location. -- University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Ambulance Deserts and Health Care Deserts

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:31:35 -0500

Story maps illustrating the intersection of ambulance deserts and rural healthcare deserts in 2020 across 41 states. Maps include the locations of hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Presents data on the number and percent of rural residents living in ambulance deserts and healthcare deserts in each state and by region. Builds on a 2023 chartbook, Ambulance Deserts: Geographic Disparities in the Provision of Ambulance Services. -- Northeast Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Rural-Urban Trends in Pediatric Emergency Department Visits for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions from 2016-2019

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:03:32 -0500

Examines trends in pediatric emergency department visits for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs), including gastroenteritis, urinary tract infection, asthma, and diabetes, and discusses the role of primary care access in reducing ACSC-related hospitalizations. Provides data breakdowns by level of rurality and year, race and ethnicity, and health condition using 2016-2019 State Emergency Department Databases (SEDD) data. -- Southwest Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Unapologetically Built Backwards: ONU HealthWise, Pharmacist-Driven Healthcare Access in Rural Ohio

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:33:18 -0500

Features a university pharmacy department in rural Ohio that prepares pharmacy students for rural practice while also providing mobile services in nearby rural counties. Describes how the program has expanded to offer interprofessional education experiences and serve a larger region. -- Rural Health Information Hub

Resource: Small Area Health Insurance Estimates: 2022

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:23:39 -0500

Reports on health insurance coverage in the U.S. in 2022 and changes between 2021 and 2022, as well as changes between 2019 and 2022. Includes maps showing county-level uninsured rates. -- U.S. Census Bureau

Resource: Examining Rural Population Characteristics and Access to Care in 2022: A Study of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs)

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:01:39 -0500

Chartbook examines the characteristics of populations living within Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) across the U.S. Explores geographic, population, and facility-based HPSAs in Primary Care and Dental and Mental Health. Highlights population-to-provider ratios, travel time and distance, and several other category-specific measurements for each HPSA. -- ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Comparing the Care and Distance Traveled by Rural and Urban Medicaid Beneficiaries With Opioid Use Disorder

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:17:15 -0500

Results of a study describing the treatment for rural and urban Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder in 2019. Features demographics and statistics on number of visits and travel time and distance, with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Health Care Access from the Rural Perspective: A Narrative Review

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:21:38 -0600

Examines rural healthcare access in the dimensions of geographic, temporal, financial, cultural, and virtual. Discusses rural versus urban access challenges and access disparities related to geographic distance and available transportation, broadband internet access and digital literacy, healthcare workforce shortages, and the social determinants of health.

Resource: Rural Healthcare Challenges Deepen as the Rural Health Transformation Program Ramps Up

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:01:13 -0600

Examines the impact of the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) program and the ongoing issues of rural hospital closures and financial losses, Medicaid policy, workforce shortages, diminishing access to rural healthcare services, and more. Discusses themes in state RHT applications and how they plan to utilize RHT funding.

Resource: Access to Health Care by Rurality and Disability Status

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 10:21:50 -0600

Report explores barriers to access to care by rurality and disability status. Highlights the compounding barriers to access for rural people with disabilities. Discusses barriers due to financial reasons, lack of transportation, and workforce shortages, among other factors. -- University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Rural-Urban Differences and Trends in Children's Health Insurance Coverage

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 16:58:32 -0600

Examines differences in urban and rural children's insurance coverage from 2012-2019, and socioeconomic characteristics of uninsured children in 2016 and 2019. Features demographics and statistics by year, with breakdowns by urban and rural residence. -- Maine Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Prevalence and Correlates of Forgone Care among Older Rural and Urban Medicare Beneficiaries during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 10:22:30 -0600

Results of a study assessing rural-urban differences in forgone care among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older, using data from June and July 2020. Also examines what types of care were most often forgone and what access barriers were most common. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas. -- Maine Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Changes in the Availability of Inpatient Psychiatric Beds Across Rural and Urban Areas, 2012-2021

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 09:54:24 -0600

Policy brief describing numbers of Critical Access Hospitals and rural Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospitals providing inpatient psychiatric care, and comparing these to urban PPS hospitals. Also examines psychiatric unit closure rates and the effect on access to behavioral health services in rural areas. -- Maine Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Availability of Hospital-Based Obstetric Services in the United States by County, 2010–2023: A State-by-State Report

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 10:21:17 -0600

Provides national, state, and county-specific information on changes in obstetric care access from 2010-2023. Displays county-level maps of changes in hospital-based services availability between 2010-2023, highlighting changes from 2022 to 2023. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural counties. -- University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center

Organization: Northeast Rural Health Research Center

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 09:04:11 -0600

One of the Rural Health Research Centers currently funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. Focuses on healthcare access, emergency medical services, rural healthcare providers, Medicaid/Medicare and uninsurance, chronic disease, behavioral health, and rural aging. A partnership between the University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine and the Maine Rural Health Research Center at the University of Southern Maine.

Resource: Availability of Higher-Level Neonatal Care Services in Rural US Counties, 2010-2022

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:25:28 -0600

Policy brief showing changes in availability of higher-level neonatal care in rural counties from 2010 to 2022, and how this availability differs by rural county type. Features statistics with breakdowns by all rural, micropolitan, and noncore areas. -- University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Current and Maximum Acceptable Travel Times to Primary Care Among US Older Adults

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 13:12:33 -0600

Explores the threshold of travel time at which it becomes a barrier to primary care access and for which groups. Uses data from a study conducted in February 2025 of adults age 50 and older. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by urban, suburban, and rural or other areas.

Resource: Rural/Urban Differences among American Indian/Alaska Native Peoples in Health Care Access and Outcomes, 2019–2023

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 13:38:02 -0600

Compares health outcomes and healthcare utilization metrics for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) rural and urban residents using 2019-2023 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data. Discusses the impact of various sociodemographic factors and the Indian Health Service (IHS) on study findings.