Healthcare Access in Rural Communities – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Healthcare Access in Rural Communities.
Access to Rural Maternity Care
Policy paper describing obstetric care for rural women in the U.S. Covers challenges to providing access to rural maternity care, such as healthcare quality, birth outcomes, workforce shortages, access, and financial challenges. Includes discussion on policy alternatives and considerations to address workforce issues, barriers to practicing obstetrics in rural areas, and increasing access to maternity care services.
Author(s): Britta Anderson, Adam Gingery, Maeve McClellan, et al.
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy paper describing obstetric care for rural women in the U.S. Covers challenges to providing access to rural maternity care, such as healthcare quality, birth outcomes, workforce shortages, access, and financial challenges. Includes discussion on policy alternatives and considerations to address workforce issues, barriers to practicing obstetrics in rural areas, and increasing access to maternity care services.
Author(s): Britta Anderson, Adam Gingery, Maeve McClellan, et al.
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Eye Health Needs: Preserving the Eyesight of Rural Populations
Explains the importance of vision care in health and describes how rural vision care can be improved to increase quality of life and prevent disability in rural patients. Features a rural Federally Qualified Health Center that has added eye care to its services and a vision van that provides care in underserved areas.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Explains the importance of vision care in health and describes how rural vision care can be improved to increase quality of life and prevent disability in rural patients. Features a rural Federally Qualified Health Center that has added eye care to its services and a vision van that provides care in underserved areas.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Taking Flight: Charity Airplane Services Transport Patients to Medical Care
Highlights the role charitable flight services play in helping get rural patients to needed healthcare services. Features programs that serve veterans, cancer patients, the chronically ill, and abused children.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Highlights the role charitable flight services play in helping get rural patients to needed healthcare services. Features programs that serve veterans, cancer patients, the chronically ill, and abused children.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Uninsured Rates in Urban and Rural America
Highlights a collection of interactive graphics providing data on uninsured rates for people under age 65 in completely rural counties, counties that are mostly rural, and counties that are mostly urban. Includes state and county-level data.
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Highlights a collection of interactive graphics providing data on uninsured rates for people under age 65 in completely rural counties, counties that are mostly rural, and counties that are mostly urban. Includes state and county-level data.
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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5 Ways to Conduct Outreach in Rural Communities
Highlights 5 strategies to assist rural communities with outreach and enrollment of eligible children in Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Date: 07/2018
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, InsureKidsNow.gov
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Highlights 5 strategies to assist rural communities with outreach and enrollment of eligible children in Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Date: 07/2018
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, InsureKidsNow.gov
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Leveraging Health Care Reform to Accelerate Nurse Practitioner Full Practice Authority
Presents a descriptive study of legislation from 1994 to 2016 impacting the scope of practice for nurse practitioners (NPs). Discusses how supporting full practice authority (FPA) where physician involvement is not required can lessen the concern over the lack of primary care providers by allowing NPs to offer comprehensive healthcare services to rural and vulnerable patients. Identifies barriers and limitations to FPA.
Author(s): Heather M. Brom, Pamela J. Salsberry, Margaret Clark Graham
Citation: Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 30(3), 120-130
Date: 03/2018
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Presents a descriptive study of legislation from 1994 to 2016 impacting the scope of practice for nurse practitioners (NPs). Discusses how supporting full practice authority (FPA) where physician involvement is not required can lessen the concern over the lack of primary care providers by allowing NPs to offer comprehensive healthcare services to rural and vulnerable patients. Identifies barriers and limitations to FPA.
Author(s): Heather M. Brom, Pamela J. Salsberry, Margaret Clark Graham
Citation: Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 30(3), 120-130
Date: 03/2018
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Access to Care: Populations in Counties with No FQHC, RHC, or Acute Care Hospital
Findings brief focusing on the 3 main facility types providing primary care in rural areas and examining how many people will likely have limited access to primary care based on their locations. Includes statistics on numbers of people living in counties without these facilities, with breakdowns by 9 census divisions.
Author(s): Meagan Clawar, Randy Randolph, Kristie Thompson, George H. Pink
Date: 01/2018
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Findings brief focusing on the 3 main facility types providing primary care in rural areas and examining how many people will likely have limited access to primary care based on their locations. Includes statistics on numbers of people living in counties without these facilities, with breakdowns by 9 census divisions.
Author(s): Meagan Clawar, Randy Randolph, Kristie Thompson, George H. Pink
Date: 01/2018
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Rural Healthy People 2020: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2020, Volume 1
Provides a rural focus for the Healthy People 2020 priorities. Includes overviews of the top 10 rural health priority areas identified by rural stakeholders. (Volume 2 discusses priorities 11-20.) Topics addressed include: health insurance, primary care, emergency services, nutrition and weight status, diabetes, mental health, substance abuse, heart disease and stroke, physical activity, older adults, maternal and child health, and tobacco use. Each overview includes reviews of the relevant literature and models that rural communities can use to address the issues. Document is available for free download, after providing brief information about intended use.
Author(s): Jane N. Bolin, Gail Bellamy, Alva O. Ferdinand, Bita Kash, Janet W. Helduser
Date: 2015
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Provides a rural focus for the Healthy People 2020 priorities. Includes overviews of the top 10 rural health priority areas identified by rural stakeholders. (Volume 2 discusses priorities 11-20.) Topics addressed include: health insurance, primary care, emergency services, nutrition and weight status, diabetes, mental health, substance abuse, heart disease and stroke, physical activity, older adults, maternal and child health, and tobacco use. Each overview includes reviews of the relevant literature and models that rural communities can use to address the issues. Document is available for free download, after providing brief information about intended use.
Author(s): Jane N. Bolin, Gail Bellamy, Alva O. Ferdinand, Bita Kash, Janet W. Helduser
Date: 2015
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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The 2014 Update of the Rural-Urban Chartbook
Updates information presented in Health, United States, 2001: With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Highlights current trends and disparities across different levels of metro and nonmetropolitan counties, including population characteristics; health-related behaviors and risk factors; mortality rates; healthcare access and use; mental health measures; and other health measures such as teen birth rates, tooth loss, and activity limitations due to chronic disease. Individual data tables are available in an Excel file.
Author(s): Michael Meit, Alana Knudson, Tess Gilbert, et al.
Date: 10/2014
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
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Updates information presented in Health, United States, 2001: With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Highlights current trends and disparities across different levels of metro and nonmetropolitan counties, including population characteristics; health-related behaviors and risk factors; mortality rates; healthcare access and use; mental health measures; and other health measures such as teen birth rates, tooth loss, and activity limitations due to chronic disease. Individual data tables are available in an Excel file.
Author(s): Michael Meit, Alana Knudson, Tess Gilbert, et al.
Date: 10/2014
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
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Medicaid Primary Care Workforce Tracker
Interactive tool presenting state and county-level data on the primary care workforce providing healthcare to Medicaid enrollees. Uses data from the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) from 2016-2019 to identify primary care clinicians who saw Medicaid beneficiaries each year.
Sponsoring organization: Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity
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Interactive tool presenting state and county-level data on the primary care workforce providing healthcare to Medicaid enrollees. Uses data from the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) from 2016-2019 to identify primary care clinicians who saw Medicaid beneficiaries each year.
Sponsoring organization: Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:
Last Updated: 8/5/2025