- Telehealth Study Recruiting Veterans Now
- USDA Delivers Immediate Relief to Farmers, Ranchers and Rural Communities Impacted by Recent Disasters
- Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees
- Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation of the Medicare Program (Executive Order 14192) - Request for Information
- Dr. Mehmet Oz Shares Vision for CMS
- CMS Refocuses on its Core Mission and Preserving the State-Federal Medicaid Partnership
- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
- Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation: Request for Input
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule
- Rural America Faces Growing Shortage of Eye Surgeons
- NRHA Continues Partnership to Advance Rural Oral Health
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
- Q&A: What Are the Challenges and Opportunities of Small-Town Philanthropy?
Comments Requested: Proposed Changes to the Census Bureau Definition of Urban – May 20
The Bureau of the Census seeks public input on their proposals to change the criteria for defining urban areas based on the results of the 2020 Decennial Census. There are several significant changes for consideration, including defining urban areas based on housing unit density instead of population density and increasing the minimum population required to form the core of an urban area from 2,500, which was established over a century ago, to 10,000. The definition of ‘rural’, areas that are not urban, is not proposed to change. Read more here.
Opioid-Related Visits to Rural Emergency Departments
This study from the Maine Rural Health Research Center compared rural and urban opioid-related visits (ORVs) to the emergency departments and the outcomes of these visits. One finding was that rural ORVs were more likely than those in urban areas to be by patients 65 and older and to involve concurrent use of benzodiazepines.
Trends in Nursing Home Closures in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Counties in the United States, 2008-2018
This paper from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis documents trends over time and compares the characteristics of open and closed nursing homes in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. It also identifies counties without any nursing homes and describes the population characteristics in these places.
Share Your Thoughts and Opinions on Health – Respond by March 15
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is seeking English-speaking people living in rural areas to participate in virtual discussions about health. The purpose of these discussions is to obtain consumer feedback on newly developed health materials. HRSA is open to speaking with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Sessions will be held in March and May via Zoom and will last approximately 90 minutes. All who participate will receive monetary token of appreciation. If you or someone you know may be interested, please have them contact Heidi.Palacios@
Mapping Climate Risks by County and Community
The American Communities Project is a nonpartisan nonprofit that uses a range of data, from consumer surveys to polling, to categorize 15 types of counties across the U.S. This report assesses risk for extreme rainfall, drought, and heat stress in each county and describes the impact on public health.
AARP/RAND Corporation on Mobility for Older Adults
The RAND Corporation is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that researches and analyzes public policy. In this collaboration with the AARP, researchers consider the challenges in rural areas as they examine how the use of automated vehicles and shared mobility options such as car-sharing and ride-hailing may benefit or harm older adults.
Indigenous Community Leadership in Response to COVID-19
The nonprofit Native Americans in Philanthropy analyzes philanthropic donations to response efforts led by, or partnered with, Indigenous people between March and October of 2020. Read more here.
CDC: Care Outcomes Among African Americans Diagnosed with HIV
In the February 19th Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that rural Black persons received a higher percentage of late-stage diagnosis than those in urban and metropolitan areas during 2018. Linkage to care within one month of diagnosis was similar across geographic areas, but viral suppression within six months of diagnosis was highest in metropolitan areas.
CDC: Telehealth Use in Health Centers During the Pandemic
Using data from 245 health centers that completed a voluntary weekly Health Center COVID-19 Survey, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reviewed trends in telehealth use, including by U.S. Census region and urban/rural classifications, during a 20-week period. Study results underscore the need to sustain expanded telehealth use among health centers and to continue to address barriers to telehealth adoption, particularly in the South and rural geographies. Find more information here.
Comments Requested: HHS Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity – due by March 14
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) seeks input from Federally-recognized Indian Tribes/American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribes, Tribal organizations, Tribal-serving organizations, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and AI/AN—serving institutions of higher education to guide the development of a new Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity.