RHIhub This Week - February 18, 2026

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.

Rural Monitor See All Rural Monitor 'No Safe Level of Lead': How Mining Towns Are Reducing the Risk of Lead Exposure – And What Other Rural Communities Can Learn from Them by Gretel Kauffman Efforts to grow public awareness, encourage testing, and expand resources in Idaho and Kansas may offer a blueprint for lead poisoning prevention.

Recent News See All Recent News 5 Innovations Strengthening the Rural Health Care Workforce Feb 17, 2026 -- Highlights a presentation at the American Hospital Association's Rural Health Care Leadership Conference describing 5 strategies for rural health workforce development. Source: American Hospital Association Putting Defibrillators in Hands of North Dakota Law Enforcement Credited with Saving 90 Lives Feb 11, 2026 -- Highlights the success of a philanthropic-funded program placing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) with law enforcement officers across North Dakota. Describes the importance of the equipment in rural areas where lifesaving emergency care is often far away. Source: North Dakota Monitor Rural Cancer Patients Benefit From Local Surgical Care Feb 11, 2026 -- An analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found that rural adults with colon or lung cancer who had surgery for cancer closer to their homes had similar outcomes to those who went to more distant urban facilities. The study provides preliminary evidence that complex surgery for some cancers can be performed and with good results at smaller community hospitals. Source: Medical Life Sciences News Federal Register HRSA: Request for Information: 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program Feb 17, 2026 -- The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is seeking comments on a request for information (RFI) regarding the potential use of rebates to effectuate the ceiling price under the 340B Program. The information collected through this RFI will be used to evaluate the potential benefits and costs of a rebate model, and such a model's operational, financial, and access to drugs for patients of a rebate model on covered entities, manufacturers, and other stakeholders. Comments are due by March 19, 2026. Source: Federal Register

Funding & Opportunities See All Funding Health Professional Scholarship Program Vet Center Scholarship Program Scholarships for specific behavioral/mental health professional students. Recipients agree to a 6 year service obligation at a Vet Center Readjustment Counseling Service site. Applicants from rural, tribal, and other underserved communities are encouraged. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Feb 27, 2026 Sponsor: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Indian Health Service Pre-Graduate Scholarship Program Scholarships for American Indian and Alaska Native students to enroll in courses leading to a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-nursing, and other subjects needed by the Indian health programs. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Feb 28, 2026 Sponsors: Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Indian Health Service Preparatory Scholarship Scholarships for American Indian and Alaska Native students who are enrolled in pre-professional programs. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Feb 28, 2026 Sponsors: Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Resources See All Resources Availability of Higher-Level Neonatal Care in Rural and Urban US Hospitals, 2010-2022 A research letter that discusses the availability of higher-level neonatal care in rural and urban hospitals. Analyzes changes in intermediate or intensive neonatal care availability between 2010 and 2022 in 3,257 U.S. birth hospitals according to rurality. Author(s): Katy B. Kozhimannil, Emily C. Sheffield, Clara E. Busse, et al. Location: JAMA Network Open, 9(2), e2559680 Date: 02/2026 A Comparison of Independent and System-Affiliated Rural Hospitals Compares independent and system-affiliated rural hospitals by organizational characteristics, financial performance, and county characteristics. Presents Medicare Cost Report data from 2023-2024 on the number and percentage of independent and system-affiliated rural hospitals by state, ownership characteristics, Medicare payment classification, use of swing beds, financial distress, and more. Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program Date: 02/2026 Development of Metrics and a Protocol to Clinically Evaluate the HRSA Behavioral Health Integration Program Within the Evidence-Based Telehealth Network Program Describes a protocol and 27 common data elements for examining the implementation of behavioral health integration in primary care. Protocol and elements were developed from 26 participants in the Health Resources and Services Administration's Evidence-Based Telehealth Network Program. Sponsoring organization: Remote Care & Telehealth Research Center Date: 02/2026 Factors Associated with High vs. Low Implementation of Medicare's Chronic Care Management Programme in Wyoming Primary Care Practices Identifies factors associated with rural primary care practices' participation in the Medicare Chronic Care Management (CCM) program, using interview data of 13 healthcare professionals at 6 sites in Wyoming. Compares characteristics of high and low implementation sites, including discussion of healthcare team communication, evaluation, leadership, and more. Author(s): Elizabeth Punke, Lucas A. Wall, Christine L. McKibbin, et al. Location: Primary Health Care Research & Development, 27, e19 Date: 02/2026 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. Location: Journal of Rural Health, 42(1), e70119 Date: 02/2026 Improving the Value Proposition of Critical Access Hospitals – Lessons from Federal and State Initiatives Report details how federal and state initiatives can support Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) transition to value-based payment models. Provides examples of initiatives that offer models for use by State Flex Programs (SFPs) for supporting CAHs' transformation to value-based care. Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team Date: 02/2026 JCO Oncology Practice: Understaffed and Overbooked: The Problems with Maintaining Specialty Care in Rural Areas Podcast episode discussing the results of a study on rural oncologists' experiences with specialist scarcity in rural areas, and details how oncology workforce shortages contribute to reduced access to care and increased physician burnout. Transcript available below audio player. Sponsoring organization: JCO Oncology Practice Date: 01/2026 Launching Rural Health Transformation Plans: Lessons from Other Large-Scale State Initiatives Discusses state implementation of Rural Health Transformation Plans (RHTPs) and provides recommendations to assist states in creating appropriate administrative infrastructure to implement their RHTPs. Focuses on governance; stakeholder engagement and communications; budget tracking, reporting, and contracting; and data and evaluation. Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies Date: 02/2026 REH Learning Brief: Obstetric Care in Rural Emergency Hospitals Describes how three Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) approach delivering obstetric-related care. Discusses challenges to providing obstetric services each facility faced prior to their conversion to REH status, and strategies implemented under the REH designation. Identifies common strategies these facilities take to support obstetric care without traditional labor and delivery services. Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Redesign Center Date: 02/2026 Rural Health System Administrator Perspectives on Pharmacists' Role in Collaborative Drug Therapy Management Examines the impact of pharmacist-led collaborative drug therapy modification (CDTM) on access to patient care in rural Georgia. Utilizes interview feedback from 7 primary healthcare system administrators regarding CDTM benefits and barriers, such as patient access to care, interprofessional collaboration among healthcare professionals, pharmacist knowledge and scope of practice, financial impacts, and more. Author(s): Suzanne Whitten, Sharmon P. Osae, Russ Palmer, et al. Location: Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 66(1), 102929 Date: 01/2026 Rural-Serving Primary Care Practitioners' and Cardiologists' Care Adaptations for Cardiovascular Services: A Qualitative Analysis Examines the cardiovascular services provided by rural-serving primary care practitioners and cardiologists. Utilizes interview feedback from 20 healthcare professionals and discusses rural cardiovascular services as related to interprofessional collaboration, expanded scope of practice, altered care, care adaptations, and more. Author(s): Susan G. Miller, Signe Burchim, Kristin Beima-Sofie, et al. Location: Journal of Rural Health, 42(1), e70129 Date: 02/2026 Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Recovery Learning Center Provides training at no cost for substance use disorder (SUD) recovery programs. Focuses on building recovery support systems, including recovery housing and peer support systems. Resources are aimed at rural communities but are relevant to all SUD recovery situations. Sponsoring organization: Fletcher Group Transforming Access to Hearing Care: Community Perspectives on School-Based Telehealth in Rural Appalachia Examines community perspectives on school-based hearing screenings completed via telemedicine as an adaptation to provide auditory healthcare access to rural communities. Provides feedback from 21 semi-structured interviews from parents, school staff, and care providers in Appalachian counties regarding childhood hearing loss, screening and follow-up processes, integration of telemedicine, and more. Author(s): Mary Katherine Oberman, Marissa Schuh Gebert, Olivia Henderson, et al. Location: Ear & Hearing - The Official Journal of the American Auditory Society, 47(2), 378-388 Date: 09/2025 U.S. Hospital List (2025) Excel file providing a comprehensive list of urban and rural U.S. hospitals that were reported open as of January 1, 2025. Includes 4,541 acute care hospitals and 1,472 specialty hospitals. Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program Date: 2026

Open Calls for Contributions See All Open Calls Call for Proposals: 2026 Annual Grantmakers In Aging Conference Deadline: Mar 17, 2026 Grantmakers In Aging Event Dates: Oct 20 - 23, 2026 Denver, CO Conference Website Call for Speakers: 2026 National Conference on EMS Deadline: Mar 31, 2026 New Jersey Office of Emergency Medical Services Event Dates: Nov 19 - 21, 2026 Atlantic City, NJ Conference Website Call for Posters: 2026 TexLa Digital Health Summit Deadline: Mar 31, 2026 TexLa Telehealth Resource Center Event Dates: Jul 30 - 31, 2026 Lost Pines, TX Conference Website Call for Proposals: 2026 53rd Annual NARMH Conference Deadline: Apr 1, 2026 National Association for Rural Mental Health Event Dates: Sep 27 - 29, 2026 Santa Fe, NM Conference Website

Upcoming Events See All Events Feb 25 Advancing Change for Moms and Babies in Rural America Virtual Feb 25, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Futures Without Violence Feb 25 LTSS Webinar: Heartbeat of the Earth – Music Therapy in Indigenous Communities Virtual Feb 25, 2:00 p.m. Eastern Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Feb 26 National Public Health Approach to Long COVID for Tribal Communities and Tribal-Serving Organizations Virtual Feb 26, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Mar 13 HHS Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) Tribal Listening Session Virtual Mar 13, 2:00 p.m. Eastern U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Mar 18-20 2026 Annual Alabama Rural Health Conference In-Person Mar 18 - 20 Alabama Rural Health Association Hoover, AL Apr 7 2026 Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN) Pediatric Symposium In-Person Apr 7 Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL Apr 7-8 2026 Breaking Cycles of Violence Conference In-Person Apr 7 - 8 Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women (CSVANW) Albuquerque, NM Apr 7-8 2026 Michigan Mental Wellness For First Responders Conference In-Person Apr 7 - 8 Michigan Rural EMS Network (MiREMS) Traverse City, MI Apr 7-9 2026 Annual gpTRAC Telehealth Everywhere Regional Conference In-Person Apr 7 - 9 Great Plains Telehealth Resource and Assistance Center Bloomington, MN Apr 7-9 2026 Annual Tribal Public Health Conference In-Person Apr 7 - 9 7th Generation, Southern Plains Tribal Health Board Oklahoma City, OK Apr 7-9 2026 Annual Tribal Self-Governance Conference In-Person Apr 7 - 9 Self-Governance Communication and Education Tribal Consortium Chandler, AZ Apr 8 2026 Annual Appalachian Research Day: Come Sit on the Porch In-Person Apr 8 University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health Corbin, KY Apr 8 2026 Southwest Virginia Spring Peer Recovery Summit In-Person Apr 8 Virginia Rural Health Association Abingdon, VA Apr 8 Healthy Native Youth Community of Practice: Native STAND 2.0 Virtual Apr 8, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Healthy Native Youth, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board Apr 8-10 2026 Rural Medical Training Collaborative (RMTC) Annual Meeting In-Person Apr 8 - 10 Rural Medical Training Collaborative (formerly the RTT Collaborative) Duluth, MN Apr 9-10 2026 Annual Rural Health Association of Utah Tech Summit In-Person Apr 9 - 10 Rural Health Association of Utah St. George, UT Apr 9-10 Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) Public Meeting Virtual Apr 9 - 10 Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission Apr 9-10 Meeting of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) Virtual Apr 9 - 10 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Apr 10-11 2026 14th Annual Interprofessional Rural Health Professions Program (RHPP) Conference Virtual Apr 10 - 11 Arizona Area Health Education Center Program