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Rural Health Information Hub

Community Vitality and Rural Healthcare – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Community Vitality and Rural Healthcare.

Beyond Connectivity: The Role of Broadband in Rural Economic Growth and Resilience
Reports on the economic value of broadband infrastructure for rural areas. Provides a variety of data on broadband and economic growth in rural communities and compares rural and urban gaps in broadband access. Features a broadband development case study for Beltrami County, Minnesota, which includes discussion of broadband's value for telehealth and other aspects of healthcare delivery and availability.
Author(s): Amanda Weinstein, May Erouart, Adam Dewbury
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation
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County Economic Status in Appalachia, FY 2025
Map showing levels of economic distress in Appalachian counties based on unemployment rates, income, and poverty levels. Includes interactive map, downloadable maps and data files, and data report.
Date: 06/2024
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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Unlocking Potential: A Call to Action: Collaborative Strategies for Rural Health and Economic Prosperities
Reports results of discussions with economic and community development practitioners in rural and Indigenous communities on the relationship between development, racial equity, and health equity. Identifies strategies related to program implementation and evaluation, cooperation, goal setting, communication, and more.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute
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Rural Partners Network Annual Report 2023: Building Rural Prosperity
Reports on the 2023 activities of the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Rural Partners Network, a group working across federal agencies to ensure that rural people have access to federal resources and a hand in determining how those resources are deployed in their communities. Features selected community networks and discusses projects related to medical care, community development, and more. Provides an overview of the Rural Partners Network's history and investments in rural areas.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Rural Development
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A New Philanthropic Approach to Supporting the Health and Capacity of Rural Communities
Discusses the Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation's efforts to support community development and health equity through its implementation of the Rural Development Hub (RDH) model. Discusses RDHs as facilitators of partnership, cooperation, and philanthropic investment in rural, underserved communities.
Author(s): Roque Barros, Karen Winston
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Grantmakers in Health
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Collaboration, Not Competition: Thrive Allen County's Capacity Building Initiatives
Features the work of a Kansas nonprofit, Thrive Allen County, that brings grant funding to the county for its own projects and also helps build the area's capacity through grant writing, technical assistance, and other services.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Promoting Rural Financial Well-Being and Inclusion: Aligning Strategies with Community Needs
Provides measures for financial well-being and defines assets across rural county types, such as high-employment agricultural areas, centers of wealth and health, recreational and cultural areas, and more, and includes economic indicators like income and home ownership rate for each county type. Discusses challenges to financial well-being, strategies to improve economies, and policy considerations.
Author(s): Yipeng Su, Anna Morgan
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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"Economic Development is Population Health": A New Vision for Rural Hospital Leadership
Describes the role that rural hospital investments can play in contributing to community health. Features a Wisconsin Critical Access Hospital making infrastructure investments in their downtown and a New Hampshire medical center investing in public transit and affordable housing.
Author(s): Brendan Stermer
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Swimming Upstream on the Path to Thriving
Explores challenges and opportunities for equitable economic development in rural, disadvantaged communities. Discusses the impact of persistent poverty, local entrepreneurship supports, community development strategies and policies, and investment models. Highlights the relationship between community health and prosperity, including discussion of the value of local hospitals and medical centers.
Author(s): May Erouart, Amanda Weinstein
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation
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Rural Partners Network with Farah Ahmad
Podcast episode featuring Farah Ahmad, Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Discusses the Rural Partners Network, an alliance of 25 federal agencies working together with 36 communities across 10 states and Puerto Rico to help rural communities build prosperity through job creation, infrastructure development, and community improvement. Describes how USDA Rural Development and the Rural Partners Network are working to address housing and transportation concerns in rural areas.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Impact! Communications, Inc.
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Last Updated: 10/2/2024