RHIhub This Week - September 9, 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.
Upcoming Webinar
Rural Measles Response: Lessons Learned from the FieldJoin us next Thursday, September 17, at 12:00 p.m. Central to hear from clinicians and public health leaders about their real-world experiences responding to measles cases in rural settings. Learn what to do when a suspected case is identified, and how local health departments can rapidly mobilize a response. Register today! |
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WARM Center Street Outreach ProgramTrained outreach workers meet with people experiencing homelessness in southern Rhode Island to connect them to services, distribute items like food and clothing, and provide case management. |
Recently Added to the Online Library |
Sep 8, 2026 -- Announces awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a variety of behavioral health treatment, prevention, and crisis response programs across over 20 funding opportunities. Includes funding for suicide prevention and response in tribal communities, community-based systems of care for tribal youth, emergency medical services for behavioral health crises in rural areas, and training and technical assistance for rural opioid and stimulant use. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HHS Awards More Than $11 Million to Expand Medical Residencies in Rural and Tribal Communities Sep 4, 2026 -- Announces new funding awarded to support the development of 15 physician rural and tribal residency programs in 14 states through the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program. Since being established in 2019, the program has created 66 new rural residency programs and trained over 850 physicians. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services North Carolina Invests in Childcare While Testing How to Sustain Family Childcare Homes Sep 4, 2026 -- Describes the loss of childcare slots across North Carolina and the financial and regulatory challenges with offering childcare services. Highlights 2 rural childcare pilot programs that will inform future policy to address identified challenges. Rural Transformation Plans Bolster Community Paramedicine Programs Sep 3, 2026 -- Describes community paramedicine programs funded by the Rural Health Transformation Program in 5 states. Highlighted programs will expand access to care, upgrade equipment, address reimbursement issues, and introduce mobile integrated health programs. Source: Healthcare Innovation |
Funding for programs that are designed to strengthen communities and solve local problems, including those found in rural and tribal areas. Funding priorities include concentrated poverty, faith-based organizations, services for veterans, access to youth mental health and substance use services, public safety, outdoor recreation, and support for families. Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. territories Application Deadline: Jan 13, 2027 Sponsor: AmeriCorps HRSA Look-Alike Initial Designation and Technical Assistance Resources to assist organizations in the application for Look-Alike Initial Designation under the Health Center Program. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsors: Bureau of Primary Health Care, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Rural Hospital Stabilization Program Technical assistance for rural hospitals to help improve financial stability by enhancing or expanding healthcare services that meet community needs. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: National Rural Health Resource Center USDA Circuit Rider Program - Technical Assistance for Rural Water Systems Technical assistance for rural water systems experiencing day-to-day operational, financial, or managerial issues. Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsors: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Development, USDA Rural Utilities Service |
First annual report describing changes to the availability of obstetric services at short-term acute care hospitals. Examines the number of hospitals that lost obstetric services and the percentage of all hospitals without obstetric services between 2010 and 2024. Presents data on urban and rural hospitals by state and nationally. Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center Date: 09/2026 Fatigue Among Adults Age 18 and Older: United States, 2024 Analyzes the prevalence of fatigue and related functioning difficulties and work or social limitations by demographic group, using 2024 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data. See Table 2 for comparisons of frequency of fatigue by level of rurality, among other demographics. Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics Date: 09/2026 High-Deductible Health Plans in Rural and Urban Populations: Outpatient Utilization and Out-of-Pocket Costs Policy brief exploring rural-urban differences in High-Deductible Health Plan enrollment, subsequent healthcare use, and out-of-pocket costs. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas. Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center Date: 08/2026 Keeping Patients with Confidence: Using Telehealth to Treat Patients in Rural Georgia Interview with Dr. Matt Lyon, of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Discusses the Digital Care Network, linking specialists to rural primary care physicians and enabling more patients to stay in local hospitals. Includes discussion of the ways in which the platform was used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sponsoring organizations: Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) Date: 06/2026 Non-Metropolitan vs. Metropolitan Variations in Alcohol, Illicit Drug, and Prescription Therapeutic Drug Misuse Reports on how alcohol use, illicit drug use, and the use of opioid and non-opioid prescription drugs vary by rural or urban area using 2023-2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data. Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center Date: 08/2026 Older Medicare Beneficiaries' Use of Long Term Services and Supports, 2015-2021 Examines how the likelihood of living in nursing homes, lower intensity facilities, or community settings has varied over time among adults aged 65 and older, using 2015-2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data. Compares trends by rural or urban dwelling and other demographic and clinical factors. Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center Date: 07/2026 Practical Approaches to Rural Public Health Policy Training module that provides core knowledge about how the public health policy process functions, building support among decision-makers, and how contextual factors impact public health policy for rural public health practice. Focuses on building knowledge around a six-step policy process to identify an issue, identify options, strategize and build support, finalize and adopt the policy, implement the policy, and review and adjust the policy based on lessons learned. Includes real-world local public health policy examples. Continuing education credits for this course are available through August 28, 2029, via CDC TRAIN. Additional links: CDC TRAIN Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis Date: 08/2026 Practical Data Skills for Rural Public Health Training module that provides core knowledge on data assessment for rural public health practice and decision-making. Focuses on building practical skills to collect, organize, analyze, interpret, and communicate data. Includes real-world examples and strategies to review and apply data skills to everyday rural public health work. Continuing education credits for this course are available through August 28, 2029, via CDC TRAIN. Additional links: CDC TRAIN Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis Date: 08/2026 Rural Maternal Health County Data Repository An interactive county-level maternal health data repository that provides information on hospital obstetric (OB) services availability, population characteristics, maternal health provider workforce supply, and maternal health and birth outcomes. Includes county, state, and national maternal health data comparisons as well as a county-level map showing if and when OB services have been lost. Sponsoring organization: Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program Rural/Urban Disparities in Utilization of Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT) to the Fee-for-Service Medicare Population, 2017-2024 Analyzes disparities in Diabetes Self-Management Training use among Medicare beneficiaries, using data from 2017-2024. Expands on a 2020 study to assess whether disparities have persisted, widened, or narrowed over time, and to examine broader trends in service availability, provider participation, and beneficiary use. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas. Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center Date: 08/2026 So You Want To Become A Health Center Provides guidance for organizations interested in establishing a new health center under the HRSA Health Center Program. Includes information on pathways of entry into the Health Center Program; Health Center Program benefits and eligibility; strategies for assessing community need; governance, financial, and operational considerations, and more. Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers Date: 09/2026 Take a Tour of data.census.gov Video highlighting the features of the data.census.gov platform. Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau Date: 09/2026 Tele-Hospitalist Services to Support the Opening of a New Rural Hospital Describes a tele-hospitalist model designed to support the Medical University of South Carolina Health System (MUSC Health) Black River, a 25-bed rural hospital in South Carolina that opened in 2023. Examines the operational and clinical performance of MUSC Health Black River during its first six quarters of operation, including patient volume, payer mix, average daily census (ADC), 30-day readmissions, and more. Author(s): Yotam Papo, Jillian Harvey, Dunc Williams Jr., et al. Location: Journal of Hospital Medicine, 21(9), 1075-1080 Date: 09/2026 Unmasking the Rural Substance Use Burden: The Need to Move Beyond Macro-Level Data in Substance Use Policy and Planning Brief examines health-related differences and service gaps of rural, non-rural, and national communities to better understand substance use trends in order to inform policies and interventions in rural communities. Bases findings on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and details rates of opioid, stimulant, vape, and alcohol use in rural and urban areas in 2023 and 2024. Sponsoring organization: Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Technical Assistance Date: 09/2026 Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 13–17 Years — National Immunization Survey-Teen, United States, 2025 Reports on vaccination coverage among U.S. adolescents for ages 13 through 17. Includes nonmetro data on vaccination for the following vaccines: Tdap (tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis), MenACWY (quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate), and HPV (human papillomavirus). Discusses potential reasons for differences in vaccination coverage for metro versus nonmetro locations. Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Location: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 75(34), 530-538 Date: 09/2026 Who Lives in Ambulance Deserts? Demographic and Geographic Differences in Accessing Ambulance Services Presents data on ambulance deserts, or populated areas more than 25 minutes from an ambulance station, across 41 states, using a mix of state and federal data sources. Discusses how rurality and other factors such as U.S. region, age, and socioeconomic status are associated with living in an ambulance desert. Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center Date: 07/2026 |
Deadline: Nov 1, 2026 Montana Nurses Association, Montana Office of Rural Health, Montana State University College of Nursing, Rural Nurse Organization Event Dates: Jul 7 - 9, 2027 Billings, MT Conference Website |
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Tell Us How RHIhub Has Impacted YouEmail kristine@ruralhealthinfo.org about how RHIhub has impacted you. Your stories may be used in testimony, budget documents, and presentations concerning the Rural Health Information Hub. |