Read this in your browser May 21, 2026What's NewApplication Assistance for the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program – Wednesday, May 27 at 1:00 pm Eastern. This FORHP-funded program provides cost-free, comprehensive technical assistance to improve quality of care for HRSA-designated rural providers located within the parishes and counties served by the Delta Regional Authority. Service improvement areas include finances, operations, quality, telehealth and technology, workforce and leadership development, and emergency medical services. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with the next cohort being selected in Fall 2026. Federal Health Department (HHS) Reports on the State of Rural Hospitals. Policy researchers and analysts within the HHS office for planning and evaluation (ASPE) used a Cox proportional hazards model to identify low occupancy rates, for-profit ownership, and proximity to an urban county as key determinants of rural hospital closure or conversion to outpatient-only facilities. The brief is accompanied by a data dashboard that features an interactive map with comprehensive information on rural hospitals, both open and closed, spanning 2012 to 2023. Consult the dashboard’s User Guide to understand how to filter data by year, hospital name, closure status, state, occupancy rate, ownership type, and system affiliation. The dashboard also includes hospital-level information, such as occupancy rates, number of beds, Medicare and Medicaid share of discharges, liability-to-asset ratios, and annual profit margins. Researchers Report on Financial Performance of Critical Access Hospitals. This Data Summary Report presents state and national media values of the 30 financial indicators included in the Critical Access Hospital Measurement and Performance Assessment System (CAHMPAS). These indicators were specifically designed to capture the financial performance of CMS-designated Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). The Flex Monitoring Team is a consortium of researchers from the Universities of Minnesota, North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Southern Maine. The team is funded by FORHP to analyze CAH data and improvement practices through FORHP’s Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program (Flex). You can find a map of every CAH in the U.S. at FlexMonitoring.org. Forecasted Opportunity: HRSA Telehealth Nutrition Services Network Grant Program – Estimated Post Date May 22. Funded through HRSA’s Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT), his program will support telehealth networks using nutrition services to help prevent and manage chronic diseases. Eligible applicants include state, local, and tribal governments, school districts and institutions of higher learning, nonprofit organizations, and small businesses. Another forecasted opportunity from OAT, the Technology-enabled Collaborative Learning Program, aims to improve retention of rural clinicians and is estimated to post on May 22. Take the HRSA National Nursing Survey. Since 1977, HRSA has sponsored this survey to assess supply and demand of the nursing workforce, evaluate the impact of state and federal programs for nursing, and understand current trends such as education, employment, income, and demographics. The survey is carried out by the U.S. Census Bureau, using a random selection of all Registered Nurses in the country. If you receive the survey, know that all information is solely for statistical purposes; all personal information is removed from all forms and not included in any statistical release. See more Frequently Asked Questions on the U.S. Census Bureau website, and explore the most recent results on HRSA’s Nursing Workforce Dashboard. Governors' Policy Actions in Rural Health Workforce. This HRSA-funded publication from the National Governors Association summarizes key policy actions states will pursue to shape the health workforce through the Rural Health Transformation Program. Their strategies take several approaches to increasing quantity and quality of health professionals in rural areas: career pathways, education and training, recruitment and retention, and licensure and scope of practice.
Funding and OpportunitiesNIH Association for Rural and Small Libraries Conference Professional Development Award – June 15. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will make up to 20 awards to support rural and small library staff in enhancing their ability to serve their communities with trustworthy health information. The funding will cover registration and travel expenses to attend the 2026 Association for Rural and Small Libraries Conference in Montgomery, Alabama from September 16-19, 2026. USDA Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Education Competitive Grants Program – June 16. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides grants to promote and strengthen the ability of Alaska Native-serving institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions to carry out education, applied research, and related community development programs. USDA Community Connect Broadband Grant Program – June 29. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides financial assistance to eligible applicants that will provide broadband service in rural, economically challenged communities where service does not exist. Eligible applicants include state and local governments, federally recognized Tribes, incorporated organizations, and any other legal entity including cooperatives, private corporations, or limited liability companies.
Rural Health ResearchResearch in this section is located on the HRSA/FORHP-supported Rural Health Research Gateway. Sign up to receive alerts when new publications become available. Access to and Provision of Child and Youth Behavioral Health Services in the Rural and Urban U.S. Between 2018 and 2023, suicide mortality rates among youth aged under 18 years in rural areas remained consistently higher than those in urban areas. Children in rural areas were more likely to have parent-reported mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders compared with their urban counterparts. These elevated rates of need exist alongside workforce shortages: 70.2 percent of rural counties had no practicing youth behavioral health clinician, and 74.1 percent of rural counties were entirely or partially designated as Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). This report brings together findings from nine briefs and reports, describing the prevalence of behavioral health conditions among youth, the youth behavioral health workforce, the behavioral health licensure and reimbursement policy landscape, and the provision of youth behavioral health services. Trends in Medicare Advantage Quality for Nonmetropolitan Enrollees, 2019-2023. This brief analyzes Medicare Advantage (MA) star rating data for 2019 to 2023 for all (non-Special Needs Plan) contracts and describes patterns across geography, by region, and by plan type. High ratings generate bonus payments, within parameters of benchmarks and payment caps set by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 2010.
Policy UpdatesSend questions to ruralpolicy@hrsa.gov. CMS Pauses all Medicare Hospice and Home Health Enrollments. Identifying Medicare hospice and home health providers as “high-risk” for fraud, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a six-month moratorium on new enrollment for providers, effective immediately, as part of the Administration’s Anti-Fraud Task Force work. For more information, please review the Federal Register notice for hospices and for home health. CMS Releases 2027 Health Insurance Marketplace Final Rule. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2027, which sets standards for Health Insurance Exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. Federal and State Health Insurance Exchanges, also known as Marketplaces, help people compare and buy health insurance plans and receive financial help to make coverage more affordable. CMS finalized a range of policies that cover payment parameters, consumer eligibility and verification requirements, oversight and enforcement measures for issuers and brokers, catastrophic and non-network health plans, and flexibilities for State Exchanges. In addition, CMS finalized changes to certification reviews for Essential Community Providers (ECPs)—providers that serve predominantly low-income and medically underserved individuals, including in rural areas. However, they did not finalize the proposal to lower the minimum percentage of ECPs that issuers must contract with in each plan’s service area from 35 percent to 20 percent. Issuers must continue to contract with at least 35 percent of ECPs in each plan’s service area and continue to meet separate thresholds for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and family planning providers. CMS-Driven Partnership Seeks Rural Experts to Help Shape U.S. Health Care Quality – Nominate by June 1. The Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) seeks individuals with health care expertise or lived experience to serve on the Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review committee to provide recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the selection of quality measures being considered for use in CMS programs. Committees are designed to represent a variety of voices and perspectives, including rural health experts, clinicians, health care facilities, purchasers, payers, policymakers, researchers, health IT professionals, patients, and caregivers. Committee members help shape U.S. health care priorities and drive better patient outcome. Learn more about responsibilities and time commitments, and nominate yourself or someone else by June 1.
Resources of the WeekTransforming Rural Hospitals Through Telehealth Partnerships is a playbook created by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), a HRSA-funded Telehealth Center of Excellence. The playbook draws on real-world examples that offer actionable tactics for implementing and transforming telehealth partnerships within health systems. Transforming Rural Health: Strategies from the Field - Rural Telehealth. Adding to their series of rural-relevant strategies for health providers, the Georgia Health Policy Center released a new brief discussing telehealth access, policy considerations, and barriers for rural communities such as lack of digital infrastructure.
Approaching DeadlinesDOL Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Indian and Native American Program - Employment and Training Grants – May 22 AHRQ Seeks Nominations for U.S. Preventive Services Task Force – Submit by May 23 DOT’s Safe Streets for All Grant Program – May 26 DOJ Rural Law Enforcement Violent Crime Reduction Initiative – initiate in Grants.gov by May 27 CMS Seeks Input on the 2028 Medicaid HCBS Quality Measure Set – Comment by May 28 Indian Health Service Capital Infrastructure Program – May 30 Veterans Affairs Specialty Education Loan Repayment Program – May 31 CMS-Driven Partnership for Quality Measurement Seeks Rural Experts – Nominate by June 1 CMS Proposes Updates for the FY 2027 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System – Comment by June 1 Proposed 2027 Hospice Rule: Higher Payments Paired with New Oversight Tools – Comment by June 1 CMS Proposes Updates for the FY 2027 Inpatient Rehabilitation Prospective Payment System Facilities – Comment by June 1 CMS Releases 2027 Medicare Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule - Comment by June 1 USDA Delta Health Care Services Grant Program – June 1 USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program – June 5 USDA Regional Food System Partnerships – June 5 CDC Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Grants – June 8 USDA Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program – June 8 CMS Proposed Collection in Self-Attestation for Recertification of CORFs, OPT/SLP, RHCs Providers and PXR Suppliers – Comment by June 9 CMS Proposes Expansion of Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) Model – Comment by June 9 CMS Seeks Input on Proposed Changes to Medicare Hospital Payments – Comment by June 9 VA Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grants – June 12 CMS Proposes New Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs – Comment by June 15 Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO Application Toolkit Available – Apply by June 23 USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants – June 30 USDA Rural Development: Intermediary Relending Program – June 30 HUD FY 2025 Rural Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing Grants – July 6 FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Grants – July 23 Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO Application Toolkit Available – Apply by June 23 NIH Native Collective Research Effort to Enhance Wellness (N CREW) Phase II – July 31 Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project – August 14 Final Rule: Criteria for Determining Maternity Care Health Professional Target Areas. – Effective August 15 Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program – Deadline for Next Cohort September 30 USDA Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program – December 31
Forecasted OpportunitiesHRSA Technology-enabled Collaborative Learning Program – Estimated Post Date May 22 HRSA Telehealth Nutrition Services Network Grant Program – Estimated Post Date May 22 CMS Student Loan Repayment for Nursing Home Staff – Coming soon HRSA Delta Rural Integrated Health Network Program – Coming soon
Ongoing Opportunities - Updated May 2026Bold indicates HRSA- and/or FORHP-funded opportunities. Administration for Children & Families: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency – Rural Emergency Medical Communications Demonstration Project Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program EPA Real Water Technical Assistance (RealWaterTA) General Services Administration: Federal Surplus Property Available for Public Use HRSA Needs Rural Reviewers for Grant Applications HRSA National Health Service Corps Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Training HRSA Look-Alike Initial Designation for the Health Center Program Indian Health Service/Department of Defense: Medical Supplies and Equipment for Tribes (Project TRANSAM) Licensure Portability: The Multi-Discipline Licensure Resource Project National Rural Health Resource Center: Rural Hospital Stabilization Program ProviderBridge: Mobilizing Health Care Workforce via Telehealth Rural Graduate Medical Education Planning and Development Small Business Administration Rural Businesses Small Business Administration Guaranteed Loans for Small Business Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program USDA: National School Lunch Afterschool Snack Program USDA: Summer Food Service Program USDA/National Rural Health Association: Rural Hospital Technical Assistance USDA Rural Development: America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative USDA Rural Development: Circuit Rider Program – Technical Assistance for Rural Water Systems USDA Rural Development: Community Facilities Programs USDA Rural Development: Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants USDA Rural Development: Grants for Rural and Native Alaskan Villages USDA Rural Development: Intermediary Relending Program – Ongoing with deadlines every quarter USDA Rural Development: Multifamily Housing Loan Guarantees USDA Rural Development: Rural Business Investment Program USDA Rural Development: Rural Energy Savings Program USDA Rural Development: SEARCH – Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (for Water/Waste Projects) USDA Rural Development: Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans and Loan Guarantees U.S. Department of Transportation: Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (R.O.U.T.E.S) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Drinking Water State Revolving Fund U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Physical Therapy Telehealth Research Study for Older Veterans – Ongoing until October 2026 UVM Center on Rural Addiction Contingency Management Certificate Course |
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