Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Human Services to Support Rural Health – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Human Services to Support Rural Health.

Prenatal Alcohol and Other Drug Exposures in Child Welfare Study: Final Report
Reports the findings of a study examining 22 child welfare agencies in 5 states to determine how agencies obtain information about prenatal substance exposure (PSE) when a child is involved with the child welfare system and how agencies use PSE information to provide services and support for affected children and their families. Exhibit 4 describes the characteristics and key features of the states and child welfare agencies involved in the study, including a breakdown of rural and urban counties.
Author(s): E. Ingoldsby, T. Richards, K. Usher, et al.
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
view details
Joint Resource Guide to Strengthen and Expand Child Care Facilities in Rural Communities
Offers information on resources and funding opportunities to help address child care needs in rural communities. Outlines how an entity interested in owning or operating a child care facility can access resources from the Administration for Children and Families and the USDA Rural Development to help meet child care needs. Includes key considerations for developing Head Start/Early Head Start programs and child care centers to serve tribal communities.
Date: 08/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Administration for Children and Families, USDA Rural Development
view details
Medicaid and Housing Partnerships: A Resource for Local Health Departments
Explores how local health departments (LHDs) in rural areas can utilize Medicaid managed care levers to address homelessness and housing security issues. Summarizes results from a gap analysis and readiness assessment which identified key opportunities to help prepare 3 LHDs in rural North Carolina counties for the transition to Medicaid-managed care. Identifies action steps for these counties to strengthen housing supports that can also inform similar initiatives in other states.
Author(s): Matthew Ralls, Kathy Moses, Rob Houston
Date: 07/2021
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
view details
Child Care in 25 States: What We Know and Don't Know
Compares the supply and demand for childcare services in 25 states, and examines potential reasons behind resulting child care gaps. Features state-by-state data on child care need, including urban versus rural comparisons. Discusses challenges with data collection and offers recommendations for improvement.
Additional links: Webinar Recording
Author(s): Linda K. Smith, Anubhav Bagley, Benjamin Wolters
Date: 10/2020
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
view details
Early Care and Education in Rural Communities
Examines 2012 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) data to describe and compare early childhood care and education opportunities in rural, suburban, and urban areas on 4 features: need for and use of care, difficulty finding care, setting characteristics, and workforce characteristics.
Author(s): Katherine Paschall, Tamara Halle, Kelly Maxwell
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
view details
U.S. Child Care Deserts Mapping Tool
Interactive map featuring data on child care availability and locations for childcare deserts or areas in which the demand for child care is much greater than the availability of child care. Includes layered maps showing poverty rates, educational attainment, median family incomes, and home values.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Center for American Progress, University of Minnesota
view details
Mitigating COVID-19's Rural Impact on Families At-Risk for Violence and Child Maltreatment and Neglect
Discusses the potential impact of COVID-19 physical distancing measures on rural children experiencing maltreatment and those living in situations of intimate partner violence. Describes how rural communities and providers can help through community awareness efforts and changes to screening and other service delivery approaches.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Bringing Law and Medicine Together to Help Rural Patients
Describes how medical-legal partnerships can help address patients' health-harming legal needs. Features rural medical-legal partnerships in Minnesota and Illinois.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2016
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Participation in Government Programs, 2009-2012: Who Gets Assistance?
Provides information on the characteristics and participation rates of people receiving benefits from Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), housing assistance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and general assistance. Tables in the appendices include metropolitan and nonmetropolitan participation rates by program.
Author(s): Shelley K. Irving, Tracy A. Loveless
Date: 05/2015
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
view details
Accountable Care Communities in Rural: Laying the Groundwork in Humboldt County, California
Describes how Accountable Care Communities (ACCs) employ a unified approach to improving the health of a population and reducing costs, by emphasizing preventive health and wellness efforts, as well as promoting collaboration among community-based organizations, social services, and the local healthcare system. Examines the ways in which the ACC model may help rural communities face challenges associated with poorer health outcomes, transportation difficulties, and shortages of healthcare providers.
Author(s): Paula Weigel, Chance Finegan, Jocelyn Richgels, et al.
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
view details

Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for: