Rural Public Health Agencies – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Public Health Agencies.
Data Sharing Lessons from Alaska: Improving a State's Process for Disclosing Data for Public Health Purposes to Tribal Public Health Organizations
Discusses data sharing agreements between Tribal-Serving Organizations and other state or local public health agencies. Examines the process of collaboration between the Alaska Division of Public Health (DPH) and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), with a focus on overcoming barriers, working through legal considerations, and lessons learned.
Author(s): Chris Alibrandi O'Connor
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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Discusses data sharing agreements between Tribal-Serving Organizations and other state or local public health agencies. Examines the process of collaboration between the Alaska Division of Public Health (DPH) and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), with a focus on overcoming barriers, working through legal considerations, and lessons learned.
Author(s): Chris Alibrandi O'Connor
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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Exploring Strategies for Small Local & Tribal Health Departments to Succeed in Accreditation
A recorded webinar that discusses challenges small and tribal health departments face when preparing for the accreditation process. Provides guidance and strategies to help accelerate and achieve accreditation. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slides
Author(s): Peg Allen, Matthew Fifolt, Amy Belflower Thomas, Jennifer Clarke-Lofters
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Public Health Accreditation Board
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A recorded webinar that discusses challenges small and tribal health departments face when preparing for the accreditation process. Provides guidance and strategies to help accelerate and achieve accreditation. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slides
Author(s): Peg Allen, Matthew Fifolt, Amy Belflower Thomas, Jennifer Clarke-Lofters
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Public Health Accreditation Board
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Assessing the Understandability and Actionability of Education Materials for Agricultural Workers' Health
Presents a study aiming to identify and evaluate the health education resources available to educators working with farmworkers. Evaluates resources by understandability and actionability.
Author(s): Julianna Nieuwsma, Joseph G. L. Lee, Jamie E. Bloss, et al.
Citation: Journal of Agromedicine, 30(3), 480-495
Date: 03/2025
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Presents a study aiming to identify and evaluate the health education resources available to educators working with farmworkers. Evaluates resources by understandability and actionability.
Author(s): Julianna Nieuwsma, Joseph G. L. Lee, Jamie E. Bloss, et al.
Citation: Journal of Agromedicine, 30(3), 480-495
Date: 03/2025
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2024 National Preparedness Report
Summarizes progress made and challenges that remain in building and sustaining capabilities needed to prevent and recover from threats and incidents that pose the greatest risk to the nation. Covers calendar year 2023 and places particular emphasis on mass care services, public information and warning, infrastructure systems, and cybersecurity. Mentions rural throughout, and discusses rural hospital closures and rural residents' unreliable access to medical care during disasters.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Federal Emergency Management Agency
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Summarizes progress made and challenges that remain in building and sustaining capabilities needed to prevent and recover from threats and incidents that pose the greatest risk to the nation. Covers calendar year 2023 and places particular emphasis on mass care services, public information and warning, infrastructure systems, and cybersecurity. Mentions rural throughout, and discusses rural hospital closures and rural residents' unreliable access to medical care during disasters.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Federal Emergency Management Agency
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CDC Rural Public Health Strategic Plan, FY 2024 - 2029
Outlines the CDC Office of Rural Health's strategic plan to improve health outcomes in rural communities, in collaboration with internal and external partners and federal agencies, by supporting and advancing rural public health science and practice. Identifies 4 key priorities for the next 5 years: advance results-based engagement with partners and communities to address rural public health challenges; strengthen rural public health infrastructure and workforce; advance rural public health sciences; and improve rural public health preparedness and response capacity.
Date: 09/2024
Sponsoring organization: CDC Office of Rural Health
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Outlines the CDC Office of Rural Health's strategic plan to improve health outcomes in rural communities, in collaboration with internal and external partners and federal agencies, by supporting and advancing rural public health science and practice. Identifies 4 key priorities for the next 5 years: advance results-based engagement with partners and communities to address rural public health challenges; strengthen rural public health infrastructure and workforce; advance rural public health sciences; and improve rural public health preparedness and response capacity.
Date: 09/2024
Sponsoring organization: CDC Office of Rural Health
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Telling the Story of Public Health Accreditation in Ohio
Examines how a high percentage of Ohio's local health departments (LHDs) have achieved Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) accreditation. Provides qualitative interview and focus group feedback as well as quantitative data on finances and LHD profiles to explain the accreditation process in Ohio. Includes reflection on the challenges of achieving PHAB equity standards in rural areas.
Author(s): Amy Bush Stevens, Tonni Oberly, Simone Singh, et al.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
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Examines how a high percentage of Ohio's local health departments (LHDs) have achieved Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) accreditation. Provides qualitative interview and focus group feedback as well as quantitative data on finances and LHD profiles to explain the accreditation process in Ohio. Includes reflection on the challenges of achieving PHAB equity standards in rural areas.
Author(s): Amy Bush Stevens, Tonni Oberly, Simone Singh, et al.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
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The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America's Public Health System: Trends, Risks, and Recommendations, 2024
Provides state-by-state information on public health funding and discusses public health systems at the local, tribal, and territorial levels. Includes information on funding provided to the states by the federal government, as well as state public health budgets. Features information about federal funding for COVID-19 response actions.
Author(s): Matt McKillop, Dara Alpert Lieberman
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Provides state-by-state information on public health funding and discusses public health systems at the local, tribal, and territorial levels. Includes information on funding provided to the states by the federal government, as well as state public health budgets. Features information about federal funding for COVID-19 response actions.
Author(s): Matt McKillop, Dara Alpert Lieberman
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Are We Ready? Preparing for the Public Health Challenges of Climate Change
Provides information on how local health departments (LHDs) are planning for climate change. Discusses public health consequences of heat, drought, wildfires, and smoke and how public health programming and services can mitigate health issues. Utilizes 302 responses from LHDs to discuss issues such as staff capacity, funding sources, understanding of the effects of climate change, and more, with representative responses from small LHDs serving less than 50,000 people.
Author(s): Angana Roy, Margaret Cunningham, Kellie Hall
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Provides information on how local health departments (LHDs) are planning for climate change. Discusses public health consequences of heat, drought, wildfires, and smoke and how public health programming and services can mitigate health issues. Utilizes 302 responses from LHDs to discuss issues such as staff capacity, funding sources, understanding of the effects of climate change, and more, with representative responses from small LHDs serving less than 50,000 people.
Author(s): Angana Roy, Margaret Cunningham, Kellie Hall
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Building Resilience: How Recent Federal Policy Is Laying the Groundwork for Improved Climate Adaptation
Examines the intersection of public health, climate change, and equity and details federal policy that focuses on climate adaptation and resilience strategies for underserved, rural, and/or tribal communities. Provides resources and collaborative opportunities for public health departments to address climate change issues in their local areas. Includes data on global surface temperature by year and state-by-state infrastructure funding to improve environmental health.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Examines the intersection of public health, climate change, and equity and details federal policy that focuses on climate adaptation and resilience strategies for underserved, rural, and/or tribal communities. Provides resources and collaborative opportunities for public health departments to address climate change issues in their local areas. Includes data on global surface temperature by year and state-by-state infrastructure funding to improve environmental health.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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A Guide to Building a Climate-Ready Rural Workforce
Guides local health departments in establishing and expanding climate and health programs for rural areas. Discusses climate-related environmental health challenges and activities, including sections on surveillance and data use, partnerships, communication and outreach, workforce development, and mental health.
Author(s): Nikita Kheni, Angana Roy, Aliya Al-Sadi, Beth Hess
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Guides local health departments in establishing and expanding climate and health programs for rural areas. Discusses climate-related environmental health challenges and activities, including sections on surveillance and data use, partnerships, communication and outreach, workforce development, and mental health.
Author(s): Nikita Kheni, Angana Roy, Aliya Al-Sadi, Beth Hess
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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