Rural Spotlight

NACCHO Webinar: Empowering Rural Health Practitioners, January 28

January 22, 2026

NACCHO Webinar: Empowering Rural Health Practitioners, January 28

Join NACCHO for an engaging webinar showcasing newly published trainings designed to support rural public health professionals and organizations. The session will feature presentations from NORC at the University of Chicago, Public Health Innovation Lab (PHIL), and Cornell University, each highlighting practical approaches and strategies embedded in their courses.

Following the presentations there will be an opportunity to answer all your questions with a dynamic panel discussion with all speakers exploring how these trainings can be applied in real-world settings.

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, January 28, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Access to Health Care by Rurality and Disability Status

January 22, 2026

Access to Health Care by Rurality and Disability Status

People with disabilities face challenges with finding accessible transportation, barriers in access to quality care, as well as increased financial burdens. Although access to care is a population health concern, there is less research on how access varies at the intersection of rurality and disability status.

This policy brief from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center examines various financial and non-financial barriers to health care access among rural and urban individuals by disability status.

Click Here to Read More

HRSA Announces New Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines

January 22, 2026

HRSA Announces New Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines

This month, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s (FORHP’s) parent agency announced updated cervical cancer screening guidelines that include a new option for women to self-collect samples for screening. Additionally, the guideline includes new language requiring most insurance plans to cover any additional testing needed to complete the screening process for malignancies.

Recent research shows a rate of cervical cancer that is 25 percent higher in rural areas; the same study found the rate of cervical cancer deaths is 42 percent higher.

Click Here to Learn More.

Telehealth Funding Opportunity – Technology-enabled Collaborative Learning Program

January 22, 2026

Telehealth Funding Opportunity – Technology-enabled Collaborative Learning Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Office for the Advancement of Telehealth is forecasting four funding opportunities to be released in the coming months. These programs will support innovations in telehealth technology to improve health outcomes for all Americans and increase access to health care.

The Technology-enabled Collaborative Learning Program will support the use of technology-enabled collaborative learning to improve retention of health care providers and increase access to health care services in rural and underserved areas.

Estimated Post Date: February 2, 2026

Estimated Application Due Date: April 03, 2026

Eligible Applicants

  • County governments
  • Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
  • Native American tribal governments
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • For profit organizations other than small businesses
  • Small businesses
  • Independent school districts
  • Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
  • State governments
  • Special district governments
  • Native American tribal organizations
  • City or township governments
  • Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS

Click Here to Learn More and Subscribe

Telehealth Funding Opportunity – Chronic Care Telehealth Centers for Excellence Program

January 22, 2026

Telehealth Funding Opportunity – Chronic Care Telehealth Centers for Excellence Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Office for the Advancement of Telehealth is forecasting four funding opportunities to be released in the coming months. These programs will support innovations in telehealth technology to improve health outcomes for all Americans and increase access to health care.

The Chronic Care Telehealth Centers for Excellence program will fund academic medical centers to integrate innovative telehealth technologies into the full spectrum of services included in chronic care models, including but not limited to, chronic disease prevention and management, and the treatment for acute episodes that result from long-term morbidity. These centers will disseminate findings through research publications and will serve as national models for integrating telehealth technology into chronic care services.

Estimated Post Date: February 23, 2026

Estimated Application Due Date: April 24, 2026

Eligible Applicants

  • Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
  • Private institutions of higher education

Click Here to Learn More and Subscribe

Telehealth Funding Opportunity – Telehealth Nutrition Services Network Grant Program

January 22, 2026

Telehealth Funding Opportunity – Telehealth Nutrition Services Network Grant Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Office for the Advancement of Telehealth is forecasting funding opportunities to be released in the coming months. These programs will support innovations in telehealth technology to improve health outcomes for all Americans and increase access to health care.

Forecasted Telehealth Funding Opportunities

The Telehealth Nutrition Services Network Grant Program will support telehealth networks that improve access to quality health care services through telehealth technology. This program will focus on chronic disease prevention and chronic disease management through comprehensive telehealth nutrition services.

  • Eligible Applicants:
    • Native American Tribal Governments
    • Private institutions of higher education
    • Independent school districts
    • Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
    • State governments
    • Native American tribal organizations
    • Small businesses
    • County governments
    • For profit organizations other than small businesses
    • Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS
    • City or township governments
    • Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS
  • Estimated Post Date: February 16, 2026
  • Estimated Application Due Date: April 17, 2026

This NOFO will have a statutory funding preference for an eligible entity which meets one of the following criteria:

  • Organization: The eligible entity is a rural community-based organization or another community-based organization.
  • Services: The eligible entity proposes to use Federal funds made available through such a grant to develop plans for, or to establish, telehealth networks that provide mental health care, public health services, long-term care, preventive care, case management services, prenatal care, labor care, birthing care, or postpartum care
  • Coordination: The eligible entity demonstrates how the project to be carried out under the grant will be coordinated with other relevant federally funded projects in the areas, communities, and populations to be served through the grant.
  • Network: The eligible entity demonstrates that the project involves a telehealth network that includes and entity that provides clinical health care services or educational services for health care providers and for patients or their families and is a public library, an institution of higher education or a local government entity.
  • Connectivity: The eligible entity proposes a project that promotes local and regional connectivity within areas, communities or populations to be served through the project.

Click Here to Learn More and Subscribe

New: Patient Tip Sheet on Using Telehealth for Chronic Diseases

January 22, 2026

New: Patient Tip Sheet on Using Telehealth for Chronic Diseases

Telehealth can help people manage, and even prevent, chronic diseases. Share this tip sheet with your patients so they can learn how to use telehealth to track their health by connecting with providers for virtual visits and using remote monitoring devices.

Click Here to Access this Tip Sheet

New: Best Practice Guide on Telehealth for the Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease

January 22, 2026

New: Best Practice Guide on Telehealth for the Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease

Telehealth can be used to support the prevention and management of chronic conditions. Explore the latest tools and strategies for the effective use of telehealth technologies to support chronic disease prevention and management including specifics on getting started, developing a strategy, billing, and engaging patients.

Click Here to Access this Guide

Webinar: From Foundation to Frontier: Radiology Leaders Discuss Scaling AI in Imaging, January 29

January 22, 2026

Webinar: From Foundation to Frontier: Radiology Leaders Discuss Scaling AI in Imaging, January 29

Radiology informatics is advancing fast, with AI moving beyond pilots to real-world impact – improving image interpretation, streamlining workflows and supporting clinical decisions.

Still, many health systems are working through key challenges: integration, governance and building trust among teams. The good news? Some are making meaningful progress.

In this panel discussion. Leaders from Phillips, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital are joined by a Chief Radiology Resident in Diagnostic Radiology and a Nuclear Medicine fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to explore how imaging informatics has evolved – and what it takes to fully realize AI’s potential in radiology.

Join to Learn:

  • Where AI is delivering value in radiology workflows and patient care,
  • Practical lessons for driving adoption across teams and technology environments, and
  • What’s ahead for intelligent imaging and how to position your organization now.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, January 29, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

What Healthcare Leaders Need to Know about Cybersecurity in 2026

January 22, 2026

What Healthcare Leaders Need to Know about Cybersecurity in 2026

Cybersecurity risks facing healthcare organizations in 2026 are increasingly tied to prolonged technology outages that directly disrupt patient care, according to John Riggi, national adviser for cybersecurity and risk at the American Hospital Association.

“I believe there needs to be an increased understanding that our increased dependency on network and internet connected technology and data to deliver care is creating an increased risk to care delivery, if and when that technology is suddenly not available for an extended period, such as during a ransomware attack,” Mr. Riggi said.

Recent attacks have shown that disruptions can last weeks, not days.

“Unfortunately, hundreds of ransomware attacks against hospitals and our mission critical third parties have shown us that we need to be prepared to deliver safe and quality care for 30 days or longer without the benefit of connected technology,” he said.

Becker’s spoke to Mr. Riggi about the biggest cybersecurity themes hospitals and health systems will face in 2026:

  • Geo-political and nation-state risks
  • Third-party attacks remain a major concern
  • AI-driven attacks expected to increase
  • Signs of progress

Click Here to Read Article