From Becker’s Hospital Review

The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is excited to announce a new Increasing Access to Primary Care in Rural Communities Learning Network (Rural Primary Care Learning Network) launching in February 2026. This new learning network will provide a forum for state officials to share promising state approaches for strengthening primary care systems, with a focus on the unique challenges facing rural communities.  

Building on many of the strategies outlined in NASHP’s Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: A Policy Menu for States report, the Rural Primary Care Learning Network will facilitate state-to-state learning and conversations around how to strengthen primary care systems and reduce barriers to accessing primary care services, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

Discussions will include how to navigate challenges and opportunities in the current fiscal and policy environment, such as implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), or H.R. 1, as well as how to leverage new resources and momentum for primary care under the CMS Rural Health Transformation program.

Other key strategies and topics will include:

• Expanding, strengthening, and retaining the rural primary care workforce
• Strengthening rural primary care infrastructure, including Community Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, local networks, and other primary care providers
• Aligning funding and reimbursement strategies to increase access to whole person care
• Investing in technology, data, and other infrastructure to increase access to care
• Reducing administrative and regulatory burdens while preserving program integrity

NASHP’s Rural Primary Care Learning Network is open to all state officials interested in primary care and rural health, including officials from state health and human service agencies, Medicaid programs, state primary care offices, offices of rural health, Medicaid agencies, and state officials engaged in state primary care strategy and policy.

Experts from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) and Milbank Memorial Fund will also provide insights and support for the network.

To learn more or to be added to the network list, please fill out this interest form.

In case you missed it, the Rural Health Information Hub archived the transcript, audio recording, and slide presentation from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s (FORHP) hour-long webinar on the ways the federal government defines rural areas.  Access the webinar at this link: ICYMI: Federal Rural Definitions.

The Health Resources and Services administration’s (HRSA) Bureau of Health Workforce is updating criteria for identifying Maternity Care Target Areas (MCTA) and seeks comments from the public about how the Social Vulnerability Index is used to score this designation for the National Health Service Corps.

Comments are due by March 30.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is requesting public comments on an advance notice of proposed rulemaking focused on strengthening hospital supply chains for personal protective equipment (PPE) and essential medicines. Potential future approaches to support domestic procurement of PPE and essential medicines include a “Secure American Medical Supplies” friendly hospital designation, new payment policies, and a new structural quality measure that would be part of the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program.

Hospital and health system leaders are encouraged to submit comments by March 30 through Regulations.gov.

See Input Requested on Hospital Supply Chain Policy

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a Final Rule updating the 2017 Act.  The amendment allows for a new registration category for emergency medical services agencies that handle controlled substances and sets new requirements for delivery, storage, and record-keeping related to their handling of controlled substances.  See DEA Finalizes Rule for EMS Under the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act.

The White House launched a new effort to coordinate the Federal Government’s response to addiction.  The initiative will be co-chaired by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery.  Click here for more information: Addressing Addiction Through the Great American Recovery Initiative.

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) is one of the offices within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).  Among agency-wide strides made to deliver health services to medically underserved areas and households with low incomes, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy reached more than half a million people in rural communities, expanding access to health care through programs at both local and state levels.

See more here: HRSA 2025 Year in Review.

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Bureau of Health Workforce supports the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and three different options for receiving up to $100,000 to pay off student loans for health professionals.  The programs include the NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program with a focus on service in NHSC-approved facilities for substance use disorder treatment and for facilities within Maternity Care Target Areas. Apply by March 31.