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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Community Vitality and Rural Healthcare – News

News stories from the past 60 days.

Jul 24, 2026 - Interview with Cory Cronin, associate professor at Ohio University's Department of Social and Public Health. He discusses the issues involved in nonprofit rural hospitals spending their community benefit budgets, a requirement to invest in improving the health of the local community overall.
Source: WOUB
Jul 7, 2026 - Highlights non-healthcare industries in Idaho that may benefit from Rural Health Transformation Program funding. Discusses the promotion being done by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to promote funding opportunities to these industries.
Source: Idaho Capital Sun
Jul 2, 2026 - Notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Housing Service rescinding the July 8, 2025, notice announcing that RHS was accepting applications for the Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) for fiscal year 2025. USDA Rural Development is currently updating the program's notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) to ensure it reflects existing guidance in addition to new policy and program priorities that have emerged since the original publication. Applications submitted under this NOFO will not advance further in the review process. Applicants will be required to submit a new application once a future RCDI NOFO is issued.
Source: Federal Register
Related funding: Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI)
Jul 2, 2026 - Describes primary care challenges in Texas and discusses how those challenges are reflected in primary care nationally. Challenges discussed include access to care, clinician administrative burden, workforce, and coordinating reform efforts. Notes that primary care in rural, frontier, and underserved regions of Texas support community stability and vitality. Highlights broad policy options for supporting primary care.
Source: Commonwealth Fund
Jun 18, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service invites applications for the Intermediary Relending Program (IRP) for fiscal year 2026. IRP provides direct loans to intermediaries for the establishment of revolving loan programs that are then used to provide loans to ultimate recipients for business facilities and community developments in rural areas. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis and compete for available funds on a quarterly basis. Future notices of funding availability for this program will be published on the program website, without notice in the Federal Register.
Source: Federal Register
Related funding: Intermediary Relending Program (IRP)