This article explores the role telemedicine can play in providing prenatal and postpartum care to women in rural areas. It highlights the types of specialized care that can be delivered via telemedicine to support maternal care in rural areas. It also discusses some of the barriers to telemedicine implementation, including state-level Medicaid reimbursement policy. Read more here.

This research examines how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, with a focus on vulnerable populations, including those living in rural areas. It makes recommendations for clinical settings on screening for negative health impacts related to social isolation and developing interventions to help address this issue. To read it online, click here.

This resource provides an overview of the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program, how the MDH designation differs from other rural hospital designations, and how MDH hospitals have changed over time. It discusses the decrease in the number of MDHs over time and examines a variety of operational and financial metrics across MDHs over time. Read the overview here.
For the full report: Full Report

This article reports on the offering and uptake of telemedicine services by large employer health plans. It includes data on access to telehealth for rural and urban large employer health plan enrollees. Read more here.

This report highlights the various measures of the rural and agricultural economy. It includes rates of rural versus urban poverty and unemployment, as well as rates of food security in principal cities, suburban, and rural areas. Read more here.

This resource offers a step-by-step guide for developing a rural community baseline dataset, and identifies links to helpful resources and existing datasets, with the intent to help State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) focus on the demographics influencing health and the health needs of the rural communities within their state. Read more here.

This resource examines the vulnerability of 453 rural hospitals based on financial and operational metrics. It includes the Rural Vulnerability Study, infographics, and presentation slides on this analysis from the 2020 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute. It also provides state data tables showing the financial impact of federal policies on rural hospitals. Find more information here.

This article presents results of a study examining geographic disparities in diagnoses of developmental disabilities and use of related services. It features statistics with breakdowns by prevalence of various conditions and by urban or rural location. Read more here.

This resource presents a bar chart showing metropolitan and nonmetro poverty rates for the Northeast, Midwest, West, and South. Find more information here.