Rural Health Information Hub Latest News

VA Centers Use Telehealth to Give Vets Access to Creative Arts Therapy

This article highlights the Rural Veterans TeleRehabilitation Initiative (RVTRI) program which gives rural veterans living with traumatic brain injuries access to rehabilitation treatments through art, music, dance, and creative writing. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) also launched The Creative Forces: National Endowment of the Arts Military Arts Healing Network which expanded the therapy program across the country. Read more here.

Rural Development Expert Takes Aim at Rural Drug Addiction

This article covers an address given by the senior advisor of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) at a meeting of the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) Rural Action Caucus at their Legislative Conference. It discusses the ONDCP’s efforts to address drug addiction and treatment services in rural America. Read more here.

Teledentistry: Connecting Rural Communities to Dental Care

This resource summarizes a report that found rural Americans are more likely to experience tooth decay than their urban counterparts. It explores teledentistry as a solution to addressing the disparity and discusses states that have introduced legislation to establish teledentistry and expand access to oral health services. Read more here.

Using Data to Define Rural Populations

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.

Quantifying the Impact of the Rural Health Safety Net

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.

Patient and Hospital Factors Associated With Unexpected Newborn Complications Among Term Neonates in US Hospitals

This article presents the results of a study to examine the rates of severe, unexpected complications in full term newborns in 576 hospitals from January 2015 – December 2017. It explores whether rates vary significantly among hospitals and looks at risk factors and possible causes of variation. It also features statistics on characteristics of mothers, hospitals, and delivery types, and median percentage of rural population in the counties where deliveries occurred. Read more here.

National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services Meeting Summary, Washington, D.C., September 9-12, 2019

This resource summarizes the 86th meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS), which was held in Washington, D.C. It presents an overview of national perspectives on several topics, including issues impacting rural children, youth, and families; the priorities of federal agencies regarding rural health; the implications of federal policy changes on rural providers; and challenges and opportunities affecting older rural Americans. It features perspectives from national stakeholder groups. Read more here.

How to Better Support Small Physician-led Accountable Care Organizations: Recent Program Updates, Challenges, and Policy Implications

This resource describes the strategies of successful small physician-led Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). It discusses how policy changes contribute to the opportunities and challenges for these ACOs. It also explores how “ACO Enablers” aid small ACOs in participating in risk-bearing models. It includes a brief discussion of how the ACO Investment Model program supported ACOs in rural and underserved areas with access to capital. Read more here.