RHIhub This Week - March 11, 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.
'Our Peers Can Be The Best Teachers': Rural Hospitals Learn From One Another at Innovation Potluckby Gretel Kauffman The second annual Rural Workforce Innovation Potluck brought together healthcare professionals from around the country to share their own experiences in rural recruitment, retention, and bridging workforce gaps. |
Social Determinants of Health for Rural PeopleOur updated topic guide provides an overview of the social determinants of health for rural populations. This guide shares resources and information on various factors and conditions impacting the health and wellness of rural people such as unemployment, access to healthcare, early childhood development and educational attainment, housing, environmental influences, access to technology, and more. It also shares programs and models to address and improve the conditions and spaces where rural people live, learn, and work. 
Conducting Rural Health Research, Needs Assessments, and Program EvaluationsThis updated topic guide shares information and resources on conducting rural health research, needs assessments, and program evaluation for rural programs. It also highlights tools and special considerations when working with rural and tribal communities, such as different research models, data collection, privacy considerations, and more. |
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Rural Arizona CHW Workforce Development Network (RAzCHOW)RAzCHOW in rural Arizona builds rural community health worker (CHW) workforce infrastructure through a coordinated network model. |
Recently Added to the Online Library |
Mar 10, 2026 -- Discusses sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) shortages across Kentucky, particularly in rural areas where case volume and access to training are limited. Describes the impacts of SANE shortages for assault survivors and state policy measures being considered to address the shortage. Source: WPSD Local 6 Why Are Some Rural Medicare Patients Paying More than Patients at Bigger Hospitals? Mar 10, 2026 -- Highlights the increased cost of healthcare for rural Vermont residents due to Medicare reimbursement policy for Critical Access Hospitals. Notes that policymakers are investigating solutions that equitably distribute cost while supporting CAHs that may be negatively impacted by budget changes. Changing Narratives: Strengthening Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Mar 9, 2026 -- Summarizes comments from a HIMSS26 Healthcare Cybersecurity Forum discussing cybersecurity for rural hospitals. Covers topics including regional collaboration, communicating with facility administration, and cybersecurity workforce. Source: Healthcare IT News Mobile Clinics Offer a Practical Way to Improve Health Care Access in Maternity Care Deserts Mar 9, 2026 -- Promotes mobile clinics as a delivery model for effective maternal health outreach in rural and other communities. Highlights maternity care deserts nationally and in Florida. Discusses successful use of the model in Florida for maternity care, noting that few of the nationally tracked mobile clinics offer maternal and infant healthcare. Source: The Conversation What Does It Take to Restore Rural Maternity Care? One NC Hospital Shows a Way. Mar 6, 2026 -- Profiles a labor and delivery department in a rural North Carolina Critical Access Hospital. Maternity services were re-started in 2020 using family physicians after closing the department in 1991. Describes maternity care access across North Carolina, challenges with sustaining the service for rural communities, and how they can be a model to other rural communities. Source: North Carolina Health News New MLS Extended Program Seeks to Fill the Gap in Rural Medical Laboratories Mar 5, 2026 -- Highlights the new Medical Laboratory Sciences Extended Internship Program at an Arkansas university. The program aims to reduce rural medical laboratory staff shortages in Arkansas and nearby states by training local students. An increase in rural lab staff would both speed up lab processing times and decrease the cost of care. Source: UAMS News |
Scholarships for students currently pursuing a degree or certificate in a clinical health profession. Students seeking careers in rural health are a priority. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Mar 24, 2026 Sponsor: Scholarship America AmeriCorps VISTA Sponsoring Agency Request for Concept Papers A national service program that provides resources and staffing for organizations and agencies working to alleviate poverty and address poverty-related problems in local communities. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Mar 26, 2026 Sponsor: AmeriCorps Implementing Zero Suicide in Health Systems Grants to implement the Zero Suicide framework, a comprehensive, multi-setting approach to suicide prevention in health systems. Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories Application Deadline: Apr 20, 2026 Sponsors: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Million Hearts Hypertension Control Challenge Makes honorary awards to recognize clinicians, practices, and health systems that have made a significant impact on hypertension rates within their communities. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Apr 30, 2026 Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Helping Hands Grant Program Grants to encourage medical students to participate in community service activities, particularly those focused on underserved populations; raise awareness of mental illness and the importance of early recognition of illness; and build an interest among medical students in psychiatry and working in underserved communities. Projects should focus on mental health and substance use disorder. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: May 1, 2026 Sponsor: American Psychiatric Association Coverys General Grant Program Grant funding for projects aiming to improve patient care and safety, advance patient health outcomes, and improve chronic disease management through preventive interventions, or support healthcare professionals and organizations providing healthcare services. Geographic coverage: Application Deadline: May 12, 2026 Sponsor: Coverys Community Healthcare Foundation, Inc. Native Collective Research Effort to Enhance Wellness (N CREW) Program: Addressing Overdose, Substance Use, Mental Health, and Pain Funding for community-led research to enhance culturally grounded, strengths-based, effective, and sustainable interventions addressing overdose, substance use, mental health, and pain in Native communities. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Jul 31, 2026 Sponsors: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health National Association of Realtors® Rural Outreach Grant Grants for state and local Realtor® association initiatives on a wide range of rural issues such as broadband, well and septic, open space preservation, environmental standards, disaster prevention and recovery, and planning and zoning issues. Rural providers, facilities, and programs could approach local Realtor® associations with potential projects. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Oct 15, 2026 Sponsor: National Association of Realtors® |
Opinion piece exploring competency-based approaches to physician education and training. Examines the concept of competence in terms of performance at the time of graduation and habit in life. Author(s): Randall Longenecker Location: Family Medicine, 58(3), 175-177 Date: 03/2026 Caregiving Along the Life Course Among Farming Households Analyzed survey data from 704 farming caregivers in the Northeast and Midwest to identify characteristics of farming caregivers, resources and supports used and available to farming caregivers, and the impact on finances and well-being. Author(s): Emily M.L. Southard, Florence A. Becot Location: Journal of Agromedicine, 2026 Date: 2026 Emergency Dental Care in the ACA Era: Rural–Urban Disparities and Their Association With State Medicaid Policy Highlights a study exploring the role Medicaid expansion has played in the utilization of emergency department (ED) visits for nontraumatic dental conditions (NTDCs) among adults in rural and urban areas. Details the rates of ED utilization for NTDCs in rural and urban hospitals in 8 states and explores rates based on states' Medicaid policy. Author(s): Marvellous A. Akinlotan, Dan Burch, Alva O. Ferdinand Location: Public Health Dentistry, 86(1), 99-108 Date: 01/2026 Examination of Driver License Renewal Policies and Older Driver Crash and Injury Rates by Rurality Examines the impact of driver license renewal policies on older adult motor-vehicle safety. Utilizes 2000-2019 crash data and license renewal policies to analyze crash and driver injury rates according to driver age, state, injury severity, license renewal restrictiveness, rural versus urban residence, and more. Author(s): Cara J. Hamann, Jonathan A. Davis, Gilsu Pae, et al. Location: Journal of Safety Research, 96, 357-362 Date: 02/2026 The Golden Hour Is Elusive in Rural Trauma: A 10-year Analysis from a Level I Trauma Center in Montana Analyzed 4,213 trauma patients between 2012 and 2022 at a Level 1 trauma facility in Montana to determine whether trauma transfer patterns and rurality impacted outcomes. Discusses the goal of offering definitive care within 1 hour of injury and the impact of workforce shortages in rural areas. Author(s): Jung G. Min, Maggie Smith, Michael S. Englehart, et al. Location: The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 103, 127-131 Date: 05/2026 Home Health Care Chartbook 2025 Provides an overview of home health, including patient demographics and clinical profiles, organizational trends, the economic contribution of home health agencies, and patient outcomes. Includes charts and graphs throughout, as well as state-by-state data. Slide 11 highlights the rural-urban distribution of home health users. Sponsoring organizations: KNG Health Consulting, National Alliance for Care at Home, Research Institute for Home Care Date: 02/2026 The Impact of Nurse Practitioner Full Practice Authority on Pediatric Care Experiences: A National Secondary Data Analysis Examines the impact of full practice authority (FPA) for pediatric nurse practitioners (NPs) on pediatric primary healthcare access. Utilizes 2010–2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data to analyze policy changes related to FPA implementation according to patient access, experiences, and rurality. Author(s): Joyce J. Fitzpatrick, Maxwell Mehlman, Alicia Plemmons, et al. Location: Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 40(2), 251-257 Date: 03/2026 Mental Health Specialist Telemedicine Uptake and Patient Location Analyzes 17,742 Medicare fee-for-service claims for mental health specialists between 2018 and 2023 to identify the proportion of telemedicine visits that are with rural, low-access-to-care, or other distant communities. Includes analysis of new and established patients. Discusses study findings as part of larger discussions regarding telehealth increasing access to healthcare for rural and other hard to reach populations. Author(s): Jacob Jorem, Andrew D. Wilcock, Alisa B. Busch, Haiden A. Huskamp, Ateev Mehrotra Location: JAMA Network Open, 9(3) Date: 03/2026 Reducing Behavioral Health Licensure Barriers Through Supervision Incentives Examines the impact of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska's American Rescue Plan Act supervision incentive program to promote school clinical supervision of behavioral health professionals. Provides information on organizational characteristics and supervision barriers of 19 Nebraska organizations who received funding assistance to supervise provisionally licensed behavioral health providers. Discusses the importance of supporting supervisory capacity in rural areas. Author(s): Jessica Buche, Caitlyn Wayment, Sydney Buckland, Marley Doyle, Melissa Tibbits Location: Journal of Rural Mental Health Date: 2026 RHC Compliance 101 Recording of a March 5, 2026, webinar providing an overview of federal Rural Health Clinic (RHC) regulations and requirements. Additional links: Presentation Slides Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics Date: 03/2026 RHC Cost Reporting 101 Recording of a March 3, 2026, webinar providing an overview of Rural Health Clinic (RHC) cost reporting. Covers key cost report concepts, the cost report approval process, billable visits, allowable and non-allowable costs, best practices, and more. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series. Additional links: Presentation Slides Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics Date: 03/2026 Rural Health Transformation Program: State Focus on Behavioral Health Describes behavioral healthcare initiatives addressed in state Rural Health Transformation Program applications. Covers behavioral health integration in primary care, the behavioral health crisis continuum, the behavioral health workforce, payment approaches, and technology investments. Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy Date: 03/2026 Scaling Medical-Dental Integration Nationally: Outcomes from the MORE Care Initiative Presents a study evaluating the implementation of the MORE Care initiative, an oral health integration model, into six rural counties in Ohio. Details the outcomes of the two year pilot program, including oral health assessments, fluoride varnish, and dental referral systems implemented into primary care practices. Author(s): Matthew Vermillion, Christine Kanan, Caroline McLeod, Caroline McLeod, et al. Location: Frontiers in Public Health, 14 Date: 02/2026 Training Needs for Rural Primary Care Practice: A Scoping Review of Resident Physician Preparation Results of a scoping review exploring what graduate medical education competencies and training primary care residents will need in order to practice effectively in rural areas of the United States. Study was limited to peer-reviewed English language articles published from 2013-2023. Author(s): David F. Schmitz, Annie Koempel, Campbell Cook, Andrew W. Bazemore Location: Family Medicine, 58(3), 199-207 Date: 03/2026 Trends in Non-Emergency Medical Transportation During Medicaid Transformation in North Carolina Examines the impact of Medicaid transformation on non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) services in North Carolina in the shift from fee-for-service (FFS) to Managed Care. Utilizes 2019-2023 Medicaid claims data to analyze NEMT service provision trends according to cost, travel mode, public versus private provider, and urban versus rural geography. Author(s): Evan Iacobucci, Noreen McDonald Location: North Carolina Medical Journal, 86(4) Date: 12/2025 |
Deadline: Apr 13, 2026 South Carolina Office of Rural Health Event Dates: Oct 20 - 22, 2026 Spartanburg, SC Conference Website |
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