Rural Health
Research Gateway

Research Publications

Browse the full list of research publications from the Rural Health Research Centers.

Products – Freely accessible products include policy briefs, fact sheets, full reports, chartbooks, and interactive data websites.

Journal Articles – Articles in peer-reviewed journals may require a subscription or affiliation with a subscribing library. For these publications, Gateway lists the article citation, a brief summary, a link to additional information and access to the full-text of the article, if available.

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Five Most Recent Publications

  • Did Rural Emergency Hospital Converters Avoid Closure
    Journal Article
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Date: 03/2026
    This research letter provides the first empirical look at whether the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation is helping financially distressed rural hospitals avoid closure.
  • Comparing the Care and Distance Traveled by Rural and Urban Medicaid Beneficiaries With Opioid Use Disorder
    Policy Brief
    WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 03/2026
    This Medicaid claims study describes the treatment for rural versus urban Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder (OUD). Rural Medicaid beneficiaries with OUD had fewer average health care visits (64.6 visits) and traveled more miles on average to access care (70.4 miles) than their urban counterparts (92.3 visits and 32.7 miles).
  • Methamphetamine Use, Mental Health Comorbidities, and Treatment in Rural and Urban Areas
    Policy Brief
    WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 02/2026
    This policy brief examines the urban vs. rural and regional differences in the rates of methamphetamine use, polysubstance use (methamphetamine use with alcohol and opioids), IV methamphetamine use, mental health comorbidities, and receipt of treatment by individuals using methamphetamine, in a representative nationwide sample.
  • Usual Source of Care for Rural Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries in 2021
    Policy Brief
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
    Date: 02/2026
    This brief explains where rural Medicare fee-for-service patients usually go for routine care and which groups struggle to find a regular provider. Its purpose is to help policymakers understand access gaps so they can strengthen rural health care and reduce barriers.
  • Rural-Urban Differences in Dental Care Utilization After a Public Health Emergency
    Policy Brief
    Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
    Date: 02/2026
    This study utilized Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to examine dental care utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The pandemic significantly reduced overall dental health care utilization for both rural and urban populations. However, the rural population experienced increased odds of delayed dental service utilization.

Archived Publications