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

• Rural and Urban Differences in Suicide in the United States, 2018-2021
  Policy Brief
  ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 05/2025
  Suicide remains a significant cause of mortality in the United States. This policy brief examines state-level differences in suicide rates by demographics and geography, with a focus on rural and urban areas from 2018 to 2021. The study employs a cross-sectional, retrospective design using secondary data sources.
• Impact of Hospital Closure on Rural Communities: A Qualitative Study
  Report
  RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 05/2025
  Rising rates of rural hospital closures have prompted concerns about access to care in affected communities. This paper summarizes findings from interviews with state and community leaders who experienced hospital closures between May 2010 and December 2017, detailing their impact on rural communities and how local communities adapted to them.
• Rural Access to Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs)
  Policy Brief
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 05/2025
  This study compares rural/urban access to Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers and the services they offer.
• Federal and State Reimbursement for Youth Behavioral Health Services
  Report
  WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 04/2025
  Medicaid is an important source of health care coverage for children and youth in rural areas. This policy brief details the state and federal policies that impact access to behavioral health care services for youth in rural areas, including Medicaid reimbursement policies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
• The Rural and Urban Supply of Clinicians With a DEA Waiver to Prescribe Buprenorphine in 2022 Prior to the Elimination of the Waiver Requirement
  WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 04/2025
  This data brief describes the supply of all clinicians with a DEA waiver to prescribe medication for opioid use disorder from 2017 to 2022. The supply of eligible clinicians grew in both rural and urban counties in five years. More rural counties lacked waivered clinician compared to urban counties.