Rural Health
More than a third of Veterans enrolled in VA care live in rural areas, and a small but significant percentage of them are “highly rural”: from counties with fewer than seven people per square mile. While they typically live a considerable distance from available healthcare resources, rural Veterans are also more likely to need these resources: they’re slightly older than urban Veterans overall, and 15 years older, on average, than other rural Americans. They also tend to be medically complex, with higher rates of chronic conditions requiring frequent, ongoing care and services.
VA has identified rural Veterans as an underserved population, and established the explicit goal of increasing healthcare access for rural Veterans. HSR researchers work to better understand the healthcare needs of rural Veterans, and the most effective ways to address them. Areas of research focus include the development and evaluation of solutions such as virtual care, mobile medical units, social work outreach, transportation, and collaborative or community care programs.
Each section below is populated by a search of the HSR website. Search results are generated based on the search term "Rural" . Results are updated as new data are available.
VIEW: Citations | Publication Briefs | Studies | HSR Briefs, Reports, Newsletters | Cyberseminars | Videos | Podcasts | Other Resources
|
Citations
(recent RURAL publications)
- Zocchi MS, Lipschitz JM, Bixler FR, Robinson SA, Etingen B, Hogan TP, Ndiwane N, Calkins S, Newton T, Shah N, Kragen B, Young AS, Shimada SL. Patient Sharing of Digital Health Data in the Veterans Health Administration: Cross-Sectional Analysis. Journal of medical Internet research. 2026 Mar 26; 28:e80517, DOI: 10.2196/80517.
- Bollinger M, Thompson RG, Mancino MJ, Hasin DS, James GA. Geospatial ecological momentary assessment (GEMA) for opioid use disorder: Protocol for a just-in-time adaptive intervention. Journal of substance use and addiction treatment. 2026 Mar 18; 209946, DOI: 10.1016/j.josat.2026.209946.
- Hampton BN, Weber MC, Jendro AM, Haltom TM, Grubbs KM, Griffin BJ, Fischer EP, Pyne JM. Toward a strengths-based approach to evidence-based psychotherapy for PTSD: A qualitative comparison of veterans' and clinicians' perspectives. Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy. 2026 Mar 12 DOI: 10.1037/tra0002137.
- Ding Q, Sico JJ, Perkins AJ, Myers LJ, Daggy JK, Sexson A, Taylor SE, Burrone L, Waddell K, Bravata DM. Trends in the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists among ischemic stroke patients. Cardiovascular diabetology. Endocrinology reports. 2026 Mar 10; 12(1):DOI: 10.1186/s40842-026-00280-w.
- Montgomery AE, deRussy A, Richman J, Wachtel LH, Blosnich J. The association between residential relocation and mortality among Veterans with experience of housing instability in rural areas. The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association. 2026 Mar 1; 42(2):e70146, DOI: 10.1111/jrh.70146.
» View more Citations
|
↑ Top
|
Publication Briefs
(recent RURAL Publication Briefs )
- Veterans Using VA Benefits Experience High Rates of Adverse Pregnancy Events and Pregnancy-Associated Death, with Black Veterans Most at Risk
This study aimed to assess the prevalence of adverse events during pregnancy and up to 42 days after pregnancy, and pregnancy-associated death (death from any cause while pregnant or within 1 year of the end of pregnancy), and to compare prevalence of adverse events by Veteran race/ethnicity. Findings showed that nearly 3% of pregnancies recorded an adverse event. Pregnancies among Black Veterans ...
Date: September 20, 2024
- Post-MISSION Act Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Use and Wait Times for VA and Community Care Primary Care
This study used VA and Community Care (CC) outpatient and consult data for FY2021–FY2022 to examine whether utilization of and wait times for primary care differed between Black and Hispanic Veterans compared to White Veterans in rural and urban areas post-MISSION. Findings showed that Black and Hispanic Veterans waited significantly longer for primary care in CC, but Hispanic Veterans in urban ar...
Date: June 21, 2024
- Veterans with a Racial/Ethnic Minority Background, Rural Residence, or Mental Health Disability History Were Less Likely to Complete Preoperative Goals of Care Documentation
This study assessed factors – including race, ethnicity, rurality, history of mental health disability, and VA facility type – that are known or hypothesized to be linked with disparities in preoperative life-sustaining treatment (LST) documentation. The study also described the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on completion of preoperative LST. Findings showed that Veterans with a racial or ethnic mino...
Date: December 19, 2023
- Despite Equal Access and Use of VA Care, Black Veterans are More Likely to Experience Postpartum Rehospitalization and Low-Birthweight Infants
This study sought to determine whether Black/white racial disparities in access, use, and outcomes are present among pregnant and postpartum Veterans and their infants using VA maternity care. Findings showed no statistically significant racial disparities in access or use of care during the perinatal period; nevertheless, Black Veterans were more likely than white Veterans to experience postpartu...
Date: July 1, 2023
- Thirty-Day Mortality Higher for Older Veterans Hospitalized with COVID-19 in Community vs. VA Hospitals
This study compared outcomes among Veterans ages 65+ admitted for COVID-19 in VA and community hospitals. Findings showed that admission to community hospitals was associated with higher unadjusted (27% vs. 18%) and risk adjusted 30-day mortality compared to admission to VA hospitals. Readmission within 30 days was less common following admission to community compared to VA hospitals (13% vs. 14%)...
Date: May 30, 2023
» View more Publication Briefs
|
↑ Top
|
Studies
| Project No. |
Title |
PI |
Funding End |
|
RCS 24-265
|
HSR&D Senior Research Career Scientist Award |
Damush, Teresa |
2031-03-31 |
|
HSR7-001-24W
|
Geriatrics and Extended care-focused Network to Enhance Research Across the Enterprise (GENERATE) |
Pimentel, Camilla |
2031-02-28 |
|
HSR2-015-24W
|
Optimizing Delivery of Evidence-Based COPD Care for Rural Veterans |
Baldomero, Arianne |
2030-12-31 |
|
HSR2-004-24W
|
Characterizing the Quality of Evidence-based Prescribing for Hospitalized Veterans |
Anderson, Timothy |
2029-12-31 |
|
IIR 23-097
|
Post-Hospitalization Virtual Care Among Veterans with Heart Failure: Examining Experiences, Costs, and Outcomes |
Wray, Charlie |
2029-09-30 |
» View more Studies
|
↑ Top
HSR Briefs, Reports, Newsletters
» View more Publications
↑ Top
Cyberseminars
The most recent "Rural" seminars are displayed.
|
| Date |
Title |
Presenter(s) |
| 3/11/2026 |
Assessing Circumstances and Offering Resources for Needs (ACORN)
|
Russell, Lauren
Newell, Summer
Pfeiffer, Laurie
Piazza, Kirstin
|
| 10/16/2024 |
Integrating Revealed and Stated Preference Analysis to Improve Maternal Healthcare Access in Rural Areas
|
Nunez, Adriana
Brown, Paul
|
| 6/13/2024 |
Using Multiple Qualitative Methods in a Multi-Year Enterprise-Wide Initiative Evaluation of the VA Medical Foster Home Program
|
Haverhals, Leah
Manheim, Chelsea
|
| 3/21/2024 |
Telehealth Delivery of Yoga for Wellness Groups: Findings from a Multi-Site TeleYoga Program Evaluation
|
Nicosia, Francesca
|
| 3/12/2024 |
What is Rural?
|
Burningham, Zach
Kaboli, Peter
|
» View more Cyberseminars
|
↑ Top
Videos
There are currently no videos for this topic. |
↑ Top
Podcasts
There are currently no podcasts for this topic. |
↑ Top
↑ Top