Rural Health Information Hub Latest News

Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Administration from Cutting $11B in Health Funds from Pennsylvania and Other States

A coalition of states sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop the termination of $11 billion in grant funding to public health departments and programs, including COVID Funding. Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania joined 20 other states and Washington, D.C. in filing a lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration. The suit comes about a week after state and local agencies were notified about funding cuts to services that support mental health care, substance use treatment, infectious disease monitoring and more. Thursday night a federal judge in Rhode Island granted the request from Democratic state officials to temporarily prevent President Donald Trump’s administration from cutting state health grants.

Apply Now for the 2026 Rural Health Innovation Program

The University of California Berkeley’s Rural Health Innovation (RHI) Program is accepting is now accepting applications for its next cohort of Rural Health Innovation Scholars. This program provides full-tuition scholarships for public health professionals living and working in rural communities to earn their Master of Public Health degree online. Scholars also receive a paid membership in the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).

Since its launch, the program has funded 81 professionals across 32 states, and we are excited to support another 25 scholars beginning in Spring 2026.

Scholars come from a variety of backgrounds, including healthcare, policy, and community leadership, and continue working in their rural communities while completing their degree. Participants will study alongside a diverse cohort of public health students while also engaging in a smaller group with a specialized rural health curriculum. This structure allows scholars to gain broad public health training while focusing on the unique challenges and opportunities in rural health.

The deadline to apply for the next cohort is August 3, 2025. For more information, visit UC Berkeley’s Rural Health Innovation Program.

Study Links Lack of Oral Health Care with Pregnancy Complications

A new study links a lack of oral health care with complications during pregnancy. The study, “Use of Oral Health Services Among Pregnant Women and Associations with Gestational Diabetes and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy,” was recently featured in the Journal of the American Dental Association. The study found that fewer than 40% of women seek preventive oral health care during pregnancy. Women who did not receive preventive oral health care or visit a dentist or dental clinic for oral health problems during pregnancy had an increased risk of gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders.

Click here to read the study.

Pennsylvania Launches New State Health Improvement Plan Dashboard

The Pennsylvania Department of Health Office of Operational Excellence has published the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) dashboard. The dashboard features trends related to overarching SHIP objectives as well as individual objectives organized by workgroup and goal. It includes a list of current strategies and activities being implemented by SHIP goal team members and member organizations.

Click here to view the dashboard.