Healthcare Access in Rural Communities – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Healthcare Access in Rural Communities.
County-Level Differences in Health Professional Shortage Areas by Rurality, Age, and Disability Status
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.
Author(s): Andrew Abram, Alexis Swendener, Mariana Tuttle, Katie Rydberg, Carrie Henning-Smith
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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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.
Author(s): Andrew Abram, Alexis Swendener, Mariana Tuttle, Katie Rydberg, Carrie Henning-Smith
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Ambulance Deserts and Health Care Deserts
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.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Tyler DeAngelis, Celia Jewell, Thomas Griffin, Heidi O'Connor
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Northeast Rural Health Research Center
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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.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Tyler DeAngelis, Celia Jewell, Thomas Griffin, Heidi O'Connor
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Northeast Rural Health Research Center
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Rural-Urban Trends in Pediatric Emergency Department Visits for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions from 2016-2019
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.
Author(s): Marvellous Akinlotan, Nima Khodakarami, Alva O. Ferdinand
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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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.
Author(s): Marvellous Akinlotan, Nima Khodakarami, Alva O. Ferdinand
Date: 04/2026
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Rural/Urban Differences among American Indian/Alaska Native Peoples in Health Care Access and Outcomes, 2019–2023
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.
Author(s): Katy Backes Kozhimannil, Hailey A. Baker, Julia D. Interrante, Kyle X. Hill, Melissa L. Walls
Citation: Journal of Community Health, 51, 232-239
Date: 04/2026
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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.
Author(s): Katy Backes Kozhimannil, Hailey A. Baker, Julia D. Interrante, Kyle X. Hill, Melissa L. Walls
Citation: Journal of Community Health, 51, 232-239
Date: 04/2026
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Unapologetically Built Backwards: ONU HealthWise, Pharmacist-Driven Healthcare Access in Rural Ohio
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.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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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.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Small Area Health Insurance Estimates: 2022
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.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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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.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Examining Rural Population Characteristics and Access to Care in 2022: A Study of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs)
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.
Author(s): Craig Holden, Shena Popat, Rachel Van Vleet, et al.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
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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.
Author(s): Craig Holden, Shena Popat, Rachel Van Vleet, et al.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
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Comparing the Care and Distance Traveled by Rural and Urban Medicaid Beneficiaries With Opioid Use Disorder
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.
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, Sara C. Woolcock, Lisa A. Garberson, Janessa M. Graves
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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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.
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, Sara C. Woolcock, Lisa A. Garberson, Janessa M. Graves
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Changes in the Availability of Inpatient Psychiatric Beds Across Rural and Urban Areas, 2012-2021
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.
Author(s): John Gale, Zachariah T. Croll, Jamar Croom, Yvonne Jonk
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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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.
Author(s): John Gale, Zachariah T. Croll, Jamar Croom, Yvonne Jonk
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Health Care Access from the Rural Perspective: A Narrative Review
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.
Author(s): Peter Kaboli, Adam Blaine, Jasmine Mares, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(1), e70119
Date: 02/2026
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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.
Author(s): Peter Kaboli, Adam Blaine, Jasmine Mares, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(1), e70119
Date: 02/2026
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