HSR Information Central

Rural Health

• Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) - (Federal Office of Rural Health Policy)  - Promotes better health care service in rural America.

• Improving Healthcare for Rural Populations - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Hospital closures and other market changes have adversely affected rural areas, leaving State and Federal policymakers, and others concerned about access to health care in rural America. Considerable changes in the health care delivery system over the past decade have intensified the need for new approaches to health care in rural areas. Managed care organizations, for example, may not be developed easily in rural areas, partly because of low population density. AHCPR is meeting these challenges through several major rural health initiatives. AHCPR's role is health services research finding out what works best in health care for rural communities.

• Maine Rural Health Research Center - (University of Southern Maine USA)  - The mission of the Maine Rural Health Research Center is to inform health care policymaking and the delivery of rural health services through high quality, policy relevant research, policy analysis and technical assistance on rural health issues of regional and national significance.

• National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) - NOSORH was created in 1995 by State Offices of Rural Health to promote a healthy rural America through state and community leadership.

• National Rural Health Association - National nonprofit membership organization with more than 18,000 members. The association's mission is to provide leadership on rural health issues.

• North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis - (Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research)  - Links to working papers on the following substantive areas: measures of underservice, Medicare reimbursement policy, Medicaid, and access to care.

• The Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health - (Marshall University School of Medicine)  - Serves as the base for Marshall University's rural medicine outreach programs, which directly affect more than half of West Virginia's counties.

• Rural Assistance Center Information Portal - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - Information portal with links to tools, funding sources, documents, journals, and organizations that support or perform research related to rural health and human services.

• Rural Health - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Examines aspects of organizing, delivering, and financing care to rural populations.

• Rural Health and Emergency Preparedness - paper prepared in April 2002 by the Office of Rural Health, Health Resources and Services Administration

• Rural Health Research Gateway - Federal program that is dedicated entirely to producing policy-relevant research on health care in rural areas. Initiated in 1988, it is administered by the Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP), Health Resources and Services Administration.

• Rural Health Resource Center - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Key element to the nation's 10-year strategy to bring health care into the 21st century by advancing the use of information technology. This AHRQ initiative includes more than $260 million in grants and contracts in 41 states to support and stimulate investment in health IT, especially in rural and underserved areas.

• Rural Health Topics - (United States Department of Agriculture (USDA))  - Links to general rural health resources as well as informational topic pages on specific rural health issues.

• Rural Health Webcast: Laying the Foundation for Health Reform - (Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) US)  - The Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation co-sponsored this briefing to have a panel of experts answer questions about how some aspects of pending health reform proposals may have a substantial impact on rural care. What provisions in the various reform proposals affect rural health care? What particular challenges need to be overcome in order to improve care delivery in rural areas? What aspects of health reform will require special accommodation in rural areas? Are delivery systems in rural areas currently able to handle the influx of new patients coverage expansion would bring? How does HIT factor into rural reform?

• The Rural Information Center (RIC) - (United States Department of Agriculture (USDA))  - Provides services for rural communities, local officials, organizations, businesses and rural citizens working to maintain the vitality of America's rural areas.

• Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) - (University of Missouri-Columbia USA)  - Provides unbiased analysis and information on the challenges, needs, and opportunities facing rural America.

• State Offices of Rural Health - (Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA))  - Listing of state offices of rural health with point of contact information.

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