RHIhub This Week - April 22, 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.
Collaborating for Transportation Access in Rural Communitiesby Allee Mead With the help of the nonprofit Feonix – Mobility Rising, Waupaca County Catch a Ride in Wisconsin and the Transportation Rx program in South Texas are working to improve transportation in their rural communities and thus increase people's access to employment, healthcare, food, and other needs. |
Recently Added to the Online Library |
Apr 21, 2026 -- Announces the Healthcare Career Guidance Hub Initiative from the Community College System of New Hampshire. The program will build pathways into healthcare careers for high school students in addition to offering career guidance, apprenticeships, job placement, credentialing, and other educational support. The initiative is funded with Rural Health Transformation Program money. Source: The Concord Insider Meet the Pennsylvania Medics Who Try To Keep You Out of the Hospital Apr 20, 2026 -- Profiles Lancaster County's community paramedicine program, an initiative that serves about 1,000 people a month. Pennsylvania officials want to expand it to rural communities with few medical providers and elder care services. Source: Evening Sun New Rural Funding Can Support Accountable Care Through Data And Digital Investments Apr 20, 2026 -- Examines ways in which rural communities can create accountable care programs, using funds from the Rural Health Transformation Program. Notes that rural areas have tighter social networks, clearer referral pathways, and fewer competing delivery systems, which can support accountable care after infrastructure is in place. Source: Health Affairs UnitedHealthcare Eliminates Most Medical Prior Authorizations, Accelerates Payments for Key Rural Care Hospitals and Providers Nationwide Apr 20, 2026 -- A private insurance company has announced a pilot program that exempts many rural providers from most prior authorization requirements, increases payment speeds, and introduces a hub-and-spoke model of care to connect rural communities with regional expertise. The program, initially available in 4 states, is expanding to an additional 5 states now. Source: UnitedHealth Group Newsroom Rural U.S. Bears Heaviest Burden Accessing Dental Care Apr 17, 2026 -- Researchers from Harvard have found that millions of Americans face serious barriers to dental care, and the barriers are especially severe in rural areas. Rural patients face considerably longer travel times, especially for specialty dental care. Source: The Harvard Gazette When the Grocery Store Closed, a Town Lost More Than Food Apr 16, 2026 -- A study from Pennsylvania State University examines how the loss of everyday locations such as grocery stores, pharmacies, primary care clinics, schools, and churches may affect health. The authors focus on a rural township in Pennsylvania and argue that such places act as health infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. Source: Population Reference Bureau |
Funding to assist in moving individuals in the Appalachian region from substance use disorder treatment to recovery to employment, with a focus on support services that enable and support individual successful entry or reentry into the workforce. Geographic coverage: Available in specific counties in 13 states. Letter of Intent (Required): May 12, 2026 Application Deadline: Jun 15, 2026 Sponsor: Appalachian Regional Commission Rural Law Enforcement Violent Crime Reduction Initiative Grants to support local law enforcement in rural jurisdictions to prevent, respond to, and reduce violent crime. The goal is to equip rural law enforcement agencies and prosecutor offices with the resources necessary to implement a violent crime reduction strategy to solve a specific violent crime challenge. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: May 27, 2026 Sponsors: Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice Veterans Affairs Specialty Education Loan Repayment Program (SELRP) Loan repayment assistance for recent graduates of an accredited medical or osteopathic school who are currently enrolled or matched to a residency specialty identified as a shortage by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. A minimum service obligation of 24 months is required. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: May 31, 2026 Sponsor: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) Grants to support the development, coordination, and expansion of direct producer-to-consumer markets to increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products. Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. territories Application Deadline: Jun 5, 2026 Sponsors: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Regional Food System Partnership (RFSP) Grants to support partnerships that connect public and private resources to plan and develop local and regional food systems. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Application Deadline: Jun 5, 2026 Sponsors: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service |
Presents a high-level summary of key data points from the September-November 2025 National Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Quality Inventory and Assessment. Includes data on CAH system affiliation; median average daily census and emergency department volume; median swing bed admissions and swing bed length of stay; hospital inpatient, behavioral health and specialty care, and outpatient and other service lines; CAH quality payment model participation; and CAH quality improvement topic priorities. Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team Date: 04/2026 Agricultural Injuries With Dementia: Double Whammy? Analyzes dementia and injury data to identify trends in injury mechanisms and severity among 251,910 adults over 60 in both the agricultural and nonagricultural population. Compares 3 groups of people: those with an agricultural injury and a dementia diagnosis, those with an agricultural injury and no dementia diagnosis, and those with a dementia diagnosis but no agricultural injury. Author(s): Kanika Arora, Jonathan Davis, Lila B. Basnet, Julie Bobitt Location: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2026 Date: 04/2026 April 2026 MACPAC Meeting Transcript Transcript from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission's (MACPAC) April 2026 meeting. Covers community engagement requirements in Medicaid, state and federal tools for ensuring accountability of Medicaid managed care plans, the role of the state Medicaid agency in the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), pharmacy benefit managers and Medicaid, and more. Includes rural references throughout. Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission Date: 04/2026 Comparing the Care and Distance Traveled by Rural and Urban Children and Adolescents with Medicaid Insurance and Opioid Use Disorder Presents a study on the geographic factors that affect access to treatment for youth and adolescents, aged 0-17, with an opioid use disorder (OUD) and enrolled in Medicaid in 2019. Discusses the effects of rurality, travel burden, and residing in a county without a clinician with a DEA waiver, among other measures. Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Date: 04/2026 National Trends in the Potentially Preventable Hospitalization for Pediatric Asthma, 2016-2020 Describes the trends in potentially preventable hospitalizations for asthma among children 2 to 17 years old between 2016 and 2020. Presents data on the rate of potentially preventable hospitalizations for pediatric asthma by hospital characteristics and patient demographics, including the rural classification of hospitals and patient residence. Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center Date: 04/2026 Notes from the Field: Tetanus in Four Children — Idaho, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin, 2024 Reports on four cases of tetanus in children who had not completed a primary tetanus toxoid–containing vaccine (TTCV) series and did not receive TTCV or tetanus immunoglobulin (TIG) after exposure and before illness onset. Two of the four children lived in nonmetro areas. Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Location: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 75(14), 192-193 Date: 04/2026 Overcoming Challenges with Rural-Related Health Data: Lessons Learned from Published Studies Offers a systematic review of peer-reviewed, rural health-related studies published between 2019-2022. Identifies strategies that could help address challenges related to rural data. Sponsoring organization: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center Date: 04/2026 Peer Recovery Supports for Behavioral Health in Rural Communities Discusses behavioral health peer recovery support services in rural and agricultural communities. Highlights innovative and promising practices for overcoming behavioral health barriers, such as addressing stigma, social isolation, and scarcity of services through community and peer supports. Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Date: 04/2026 Review of Current Research Describing the Influence of Social Determinants of Health in Rural and Urban Populations Summarizes recent research in social determinants of health and associated health conditions in rural and urban populations. Identifies gaps in the literature relevant to rural health, and highlights findings relevant to rural and urban economic stability, education access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and other social and community contexts. Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center Date: 04/2026 Rural Residence and Mental Health among US Veterans: Findings from the Millennium Cohort Study Details a study on the effect rurality, social vulnerability, drive time from Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities, and VHA utilization have on the mental health of rural veterans. Breaks down data by participants' age, education, and military service, among other measures. Author(s): Claire A. Kolaja, Javier Villalobos, Julia Seay, et al. Location: PLOS One, 21(4), e0346780 Date: 04/2026 Rural-Urban Variation in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Access among Commercially Insured Children and Adolescents Details a study on the geographic factors that affect access to treatment for youth and adolescents, aged 0-17, with an opioid use disorder (OUD) and covered by commercial insurance in 2019. Discusses the effects of rurality, provider type, travel burden, and residing in a county without a clinician with a DEA waiver, among other measures. Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Date: 04/2026 State Action to Improve Maternal & Child Health with the Rural Health Transformation Program: Virtual Convening of Milbank State Leadership Network Recap Summarizes a March 2026 meeting for state legislators and executive branch leaders regarding how states are planning to use the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to address maternal and child health. Describes early implementation strategies presented by leaders from Mississippi, Indiana, and Oklahoma. Discusses how states are aligning funding, infrastructure, and community partnerships to expand access to care and improve outcomes. Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund Date: 04/2026 Working on Wellness: The Rural Health and Employment Link Examines the relationship between rural population health outcomes and employment security. Provides data on labor force participation, life expectancy, unhealthy days, and disability rates across the rural-urban continuum. Discusses metro versus nonmetro differences in workplace hazards and physical exertion. Sponsoring organization: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Date: 2026 |
Deadline: May 29, 2026 National Alliance for Care at Home Event Dates: Oct 27 - 30, 2026 Washington, DC Conference Website |
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