Keeping rural America strong means building healthy communities. Our healthcare coverage focuses on all the important issues in rural health, including access to critical care, affordability, the future of rural hospitals, the rural response to the Covid-19 pandemic, drug addiction and abuse, and much more.
Doctors Trained Abroad Want to See You Now
Some states are looking at underemployed immigrant healthcare workers as a source of medical staff for underserved and rural areas.
More RUral Health Stories
Rural Superintendents Lament: ‘We Went from Being Heroes to Villains’
Public schools during the pandemic often “bore the brunt” of communities’ outrage and frustration over the unprecedented disruptions to our daily lives.
‘Cardiac Psychologists’ Help Rural Heart-Attack Victims Manage Anxiety
A program at East Carolina University teams cardiologists with psychologists to address the complex emotional and physiological impacts of heart attacks.
Randomized Study Will Test Effectiveness of ‘Home Hospitalization’ for Rural Patients
Two rural U.S. healthcare systems will conduct a three-year study to see if intensive home care plus telehealth can successfully treat patients who would otherwise have to be admitted for traditional hospital care. Could the project provide more convenient access to hospital care for rural patients?
Featured Coverage
Weekly Red-Zone Reports
Coronavirus in Rural America
Keep your finger on the pulse of rural health news.
Even More to Explore In Rural Health
New Covid Infections Climb 50% over Past Two Weeks in Rural Counties
The metropolitan infection rate is higher than the rural rate in all but six states. The Northeast is the current trouble spot.
Survey: Almost Half of Americans Are Unfamiliar with Food Benefit Programs
Inflation may cause more families to go hungry. Many don’t know where to turn for help, according to a survey by a hunger relief organization.
Number of New Covid Infections Climbs Slightly in Rural Counties
The rate of death from Covid-19 was 40% higher in rural counties than metropolitan last week.
Q&A: One Framework for Understanding Teen Suicide in Rural America
Dante Chinni, data journalist and director of the American Communities Project, on what we can do about deaths of despair in rural areas.
Nearly Half of Rural Hospitals Lose Money on Childbirth Services
A large number of rural hospitals that cease obstetrics programs wind up closing later, researcher says.
Rural Infection Rate Drops for 11th Straight Week
The rural death rate fell by 40% last week, but it remained higher than the metropolitan death rate.
The Pandemic Exacerbates the ‘Paramedic Paradox’ in Rural America
The burnout, exhaustion and lack of sufficient funding leave smaller emergency response crews in underserved counties with less personnel and more pressure to meet the needs of communities they serve.
Q&A: The Region with the Nation’s Highest Cancer Rates Could be Home to the Generation that Ends this Statistic
The University of Kentucky’s Markey Cancer Center is recruiting Appalachian young people into the field of cancer treatment and research.
N.C. Rural Hospitals with Worst Finances Are in Poorer, More Diverse Counties
NC Health News examined six rural hospitals with the worst finances in the state and found they share similar demographic and economics conditions.
Muscogee Nation Names New Surgeon General, First of a Kind for Any Tribal Nation
Previously handling the pandemic as health commissioner for the state of Oklahoma, Dr. Lance Frye wants to focus on tribal public health issues such as substance abuse, nutrition, and more.
Study: Hospitals in Metro-Adjacent Rural Counties Are More Likely to Close
In the 2010-2020 decade majority of the closures concentrated in the South, affecting the metro-adjecent counties the most.
The Pandemic Prompted People to Move, But Many Didn’t Go Far
According to researchers, many of those who moved out of cities headed for nearby suburbs within their state. Some believe the pandemic only accelerated a process already underway.
Rural Vaccination Rate Inches Past 50%
The metropolitan vaccination rate is 14 percentage points higher than the rural rate.
Texas Rural Libraries Will Help with Mental Health Access
The initiative wants to broaden access to mental health services for rural residents by placing non-clinical mental health workers at the local libraries.
Commentary: No One Is Coming to Help
Rural hospitals have been fighting a losing battle during the Covid pandemic.
Teletherapy Expanded During the Pandemic, But Is It Effective for Behavioral Health?
Research that compares telemedicine and in-person therapy is scant, says a psychiatrist. Technology may help some patients gain access to care while pushing others further to the margins.
In Working-Class Country, Shifting Views on Covid-19 and Its Vaccines
The former mayor of Lake City, Michigan, Brad Seger, speaks on the evolution of views on the pandemic.
End of Public Health Emergency Could Spell Trouble for Rural Communities
With the end of the Covid-era federal assistance programs approaching, some experts worry health services for rural patients could be in danger. The White House says it’s taking that into consideration.
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