rural hospitals

Eastern Oregon’s Cliff Bentz said the nearly $200 million coming to Oregon’s rural health centers next year will force more innovation.

Nearly half of doctors' offices are now consolidated within hospital systems, a trend that some say is contributing to higher costs and fewer services, especially in rural areas.

The state of Washington, like others, is in the process of applying for funds from the Rural Health Transformation Program.

On Wednesday, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson announced that the state has officially applied for the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, proposing a bipartisan plan to invest one billion dollars in rural health care.

According to studies compiled by the National Grange, rural Americans are disproportionately impacted by many health conditions, and one of the most serious conditions is cardiovascular disease.  Chris Hamp, President of the National Grange, says their work revealed that rural Americans struggle with cardiovascular issues more than their urban counterparts.  The why...

USDA’s Rural Development undersecretary faced numerous complaints from rural U.S. Senators about complicated grant applications, office staffing, and broadband grant duplication at a recent Farm Bill hearing.  Xochitl Torres Small defended her agency’s handling of its many functions, calling most criticisms the result of having to balance costs and fairness.  But she did agree t...

Earlier this week, USDA Rural Development Undersecretary Xochitl Torres Small announced that the agency is awarding $110 million in grants to improve healthcare facilities in rural towns across America.  These grants will help 208 rural healthcare organizations expand critical services for five million people in 43 states and Guam.   “...

The first in a series of USDA emergency rule health care grant awards have been announced. "We're awarding $43 million in grants to 93 rural health care organizations and community groups across 22 States,” Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack noted during his recent announcement.  “These i ...

"Since 2010, 135 rural hospitals have closed and an additional 453 are vulnerable to closure," said Rural Development's Xochitl Torres Small as she testified recently before the Senate Ag Committee as they looked at opportunities and challenges in the rural care economy ...

Last week, Congress approved the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, in an effort to help the American economy move past the pandemic. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was excited when President Biden signed the Plan into law. He recently pointed out that the farming community will benefit in a variety of ways ...