RHIhub This Week - December 10, 2025
As an information clearinghouse on rural health issues, RHIhub provides access to a wide range of resources on relevant topics. Inclusion on RHIhub does not imply endorsement of, or agreement with, the contents by RHIhub or the Health Resources and Services Administration.
In Rural Communities, Where Child Care Is Often Scarce, Healthcare Organizations Are Finding Creative Ways to HelpTo meet the demand for affordable child care, rural healthcare organizations in Indiana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin have partnered with childcare providers, schools, businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations. These healthcare facilities sell or lease space at a steep discount, and one formed a cooperative with other businesses to offer child care. |
Recently Added to the Online Library |
Dec 10, 2025 -- Describes a mental health awareness and crisis response training being used to fill gaps in mental healthcare access for rural communities. Notes health disparities for rural residents due to shortages of mental health workforce and resources. Source: The Daily Yonder Rural Wyoming Clinical Experiences Hold Promise for Healthcare Workforce Dec 9, 2025 -- Highlights a regional program pairing medical students with physician mentors as a method to recruit and retain healthcare professionals in rural communities. Profiles one student-mentor pair in Wyoming. Source: Wyoming Public Radio Barbers for Life Connects Rural Communities Dec 5, 2025 -- Highlights a prostate cancer awareness program for African American men in local barber shops. The initiative offers educational resources in addition to barber-initiated conversations on lifestyle and wellness screenings. Discusses the importance of building connections in trusted environments. Source: ECU Health 'Health Desert' in Rural Mid-Missouri Sees Hope with Commitment from Boone Health Dec 4, 2025 -- Describes emergency medical service (EMS) access challenges for a rural Missouri community after a hospital closed. Discusses ambulance response times and plans to return emergency care to the community. Source: KOMU Montana State Center Devoted to Rural Education Celebrates 10 Years Dec 4, 2025 -- Highlights Montana State University's Center for Research on Rural Education after a decade of work. Discusses access to mental health professionals in schools, mental health awareness building among students, and support for recruiting and retaining teachers. Source: MSU News |
Educational opportunity offering webinars, on-demand content, and activities on the systems development life cycle for health IT and informatics. Designed for early career professionals and those working at rural public health agencies. Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories Application Deadline: Jan 7, 2026 Sponsor: Public Health Informatics Institute 3RNET Recruitment and Retention Assistance Helps health professionals find jobs in rural areas and assists employers in recruiting and retaining health professionals in rural areas. Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: 3RNET BNSF Railway Foundation Grants Grants to organizations that operate near a BNSF railway line. Priority areas include health and human service organizations, programs that address chemical dependency treatment and prevention, spouse and child abuse, women's and children's aid, transitional shelters, hospitals, medical programs, and youth development programs. Geographic coverage: Nationwide in areas near BNSF rail lines. Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: BNSF Railway Foundation CareQuest Philanthropy: Grants in Oral Health Funding for projects that promote access to the oral health system. Priority populations include rural communities, people with disabilities, and older adults, among others. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health Community Heart & Soul Planning, Technical Assistance, and Seed Grant Program Community Heart & Soul is a community development process that engages residents in identifying what matters most to the community and how to build lasting change. Activities and objectives are determined by communities, and projects have included volunteerism, healthcare access, social programs, transportation, broadband, and emergency preparedness, among others. Seed grants are offered to qualifying small cities and towns interested in implementing the Heart & Soul model. Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Community Heart & Soul Direct Relief Partnership Network A partnership program for healthcare facilities that extends medication access to patients who are unable to afford prescriptions, reduces procurement costs of medications and supplies, and leverages resources to foster healthier communities. Partner facilities order online from Direct Relief's pharmaceutical inventory. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Direct Relief Firehouse Subs First Responder Grants Grants for life-saving equipment, prevention education, and disaster relief for first responders and public safety organizations. The Foundation recognizes the needs of rural and volunteer departments throughout the country and will consider their applications despite not being within 60 miles of a Firehouse Subs restaurant. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation Hearst Foundations Health Grants Program, capital, and endowment support grants for organization working to address access to healthcare for high-need populations, healthcare professional shortages, evolving healthcare demands, and medical research. Rural populations are a priority. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: The Hearst Foundations |
Provides a national and state-by-state overview of the health of infants, children, and women of reproductive age. Compares rural-urban differences in mortality, severe morbidity, healthcare access, substance use, mental health conditions, and more among reproductive-age women at the national level, including a spotlight on chronic conditions among women in rural communities on document page 3. Includes maps that show concentrated disadvantage by county within each state. Additional links: Concentrated Disadvantage by County, State Summaries Sponsoring organization: United Health Foundation Date: 2025 Characterizing Rurality Using the All of Us Research Program Data Provides a definition of rurality utilizing a 3-digit ZIP code-level scale. Applies definition to the All of Us Research Program to analyze rural healthcare issues such as access, delayed care, and affordability. Includes the definition's methodology and a U.S. map showcasing distribution of 3-digit ZIP codes according to rurality. Author(s): Michael Bradfield, Toluwanimi Olorunnisola, Vignesh Subbian Location: PLoS One, 20(12), e0328958 Date: 12/2025 How USPS Network Changes Threaten Prescription Drug Access for Vulnerable Populations Discusses the impact of mail processing changes on mail-order medication and asthma and diabetes management for rural communities. Highlights the "triple burden" of limited pharmacy access, high use of mail-order prescriptions, and proximity to postal service restructuring. Includes rural and urban comparisons, Medicare data, and county-level analysis. Sponsoring organization: The Brookings Institution Date: 12/2025 Predictors of Inpatient RN Turnover in Rural and Urban VHA Hospitals A study on the rates and associated factors of registered nursing (RN) workforce turnover in rural and urban Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals. Breaks down data by RN demographic factors, such as age, salary, and experience within the VHA, and hospital factors, such as average age, average base salary, and average number of units worked, among other factors. Author(s): Katherine G. Bay, Chase S. Eck, Melissa K. Knox, et al. Location: Medical Care, 64(1S), S9-S17 Date: 01/2026 A Scoping Review Comparing Individual and Multi-Level Physical Activity Interventions in Rural Women in the United States Scoping review comparing the outcomes of 38 individual and multi-level physical activity interventions for rural women. Discusses aspects of physical activity intervention research including population groups studied, characteristics of effective programs, and priorities for continued physical activity intervention research. Author(s): Katrina L. Wilhite, Alexis Thrower, Sarah Modlin, et al. Location: BMC Public Health, 25, 4211 Date: 12/2025 Supporting Rural Primary Care Through Project ECHO: A Brief Case Report Discusses a collaborative telementoring program developed by the Project ECHO team at Penn State University which focuses on addressing rural primary care clinician burnout. Details program implementation and results among 106 participants across 2 cohorts. Author(s): Jennifer L. Kraschnewski, Laura L. Felix, Sarah Cichy, et al. Location: Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, 9(1), e267 Date: 11/2025 Telehealth FAQ Calendar Year 2026 Provides information on Medicare telehealth regulations and payment policy for calendar year 2026. Includes information on audio-only services, behavioral health services, direct supervision, and more. Highlights changes that take effect on January 31, 2026 under current law. Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Date: 11/2025 Travel Time to Treating Facility and Mortality in Men With Prostate Cancer Examines the association between longer travel time to treatment and survival among prostate cancer patients. Uses data from a survey of 159,943 patients from Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Utah, and Washington. Features statistics with breakdowns by two levels of population density. Author(s): Stephan M. Korn, Filippo Dagnino, Danesha Daniels, et al. Location: JAMA Network Open, 8(12), e2546812 Date: 12/2025 Working Across Contexts: Critical Events in Rural Teletherapy in Alaska Explores the challenges of providing teletherapy to rural and remote communities in Alaska. Discusses the "critical events" that have shaped clinicians approaches to providing teletherapy to rural and remote patients. Author(s): Peter L. Noon, Camille M. Booth, Edmond I. Arroyo, et al. Location: Rural and Remote Health, 25, 10336 Date: 12/2025 |
Deadline: Dec 15, 2025 National Rural Alcohol & Drug Abuse Network, Inc. Event Dates: Jun 7 - 11, 2026 Menomonie, WI Conference Website Call for Presentations: 2026 Annual Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health Deadline: Jan 9, 2026 University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health Event Dates: Jun 2 - 4, 2026 Grand Forks, ND Conference Website |
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