National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services Releases Policy Brief on Rural Childcare.

The National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services (NACRHHS) has released a new policy brief, Childcare Need & Availability in Rural Areas. The NACRHHS advises the Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services on health & human service challenges in rural America. The Committee members offer the following policy recommendations for …

RUPRI Health Panel Releases New Paper on Payment Policies and Implications for Rural Hospitals. December 2022

The RUPRI Health Panel Releases Evolution of Hospital Designations & Payment in the U.S.: Implications for Rural Hospitals Rural hospital closures have increased over the past few decades, and more are at risk for closure. Medicare hospital payment policies affecting rural hospitals play a significant role in the financial viability of rural hospitals. Programs have …

Keith Mueller Appointed to HHS Rural Health Equity Expert Panel

RUPRI’s Keith Mueller has been selected by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to serve on a Delphi Panel tasked with developing consensus on a standard definition for “rural health equity.” A Delphi Panel is a selected panel of experts that participate in a structured process to arrive at a group opinion or …

RUPRI Health Center Releases New Report on Health Insurance Marketplaces.

The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis has released an update on Health Insurance Marketplaces: Issuer Participation Trends in Non-Metropolitan Places, 2014-22. Read the Report Here. Key Findings Include: Non-metropolitan counties (counties classified as either micropolitan or noncore using urban influence codes) have had less marketplace participation than metropolitan counties since their implementation in …

RUPRI Releases Comments on Office Of Management & Budget Proposal to Revise Metropolitan and Micropolitan Area Standards. March 2021

RUPRI, led by the Rural Health Panel and the Population and Place Analytics Panel, has released comments on Recommendations from the Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area Standards Review Committee to Changes in Metropolitan and Micropolitan Area Standards. Read Comments Here In our comments, we recommend that OMB not implement a change in the metropolitan statistical …

The Evolving Landscape of National Telehealth Policies during a Public Health Emergency: Responsiveness to Rural Needs

The coronavirus pandemic precipitated significant but temporary changes in telehealth policy and the use of telehealth services to ensure access to needed health services during a public health emergency (PHE). Extending the temporary policy changes will require statutory and regulatory action. This paper takes stock of current telehealth policies and assesses options for expanding the …

Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Counties

The presence of COVID-19 cases impacts rural and metropolitan areas differently – a small number of cases creates stress for low capacity systems just as a large volume of cases creates stress for larger capacity systems. This RUPRI data brief shows the current nonmetropolitan and metropolitan spread of the disease, and the associated map shows …

Legatum Institute Releases State by State Prosperity Index at American Enterprise Institute

July 18, 2019 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Prosperity entails much more than wealth; it reaches way beyond the financial and into the well-being and character of a nation and its institutions. It is about creating an environment where citizens can reach their full potential. A nation is prosperous when it has an open economy, an …

LIVE Stream 9:00 Central October 9: RUPRI Scholars present Lecture “Details of the Rural Health Framework-A Comprehensive Measure of Economic Well-Being

October 9, 2018 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am On October 9, RUPRI Scholars, Dr. Tom Johnson & Dr. Matt Fannin, will present a lecture on the “Details of the Rural Health Framework – A Comprehensive Measure of Economic Well-Being” to faculty and students at the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health.

RUPRI’s Director of National Policy Programs, Jocelyn Richgels, Discusses Smmertime Experiences of Rural Children

Jocelyn Richgels, director of national policy programs for the Rural Policy Research Institute, was an invited panelist at a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine information gathering session held Sept. 19 in Washington, D.C. The session was convened by the Committee on Summertime Experiences and Child and Adolescent Education, Health, and Safety. The committee, …

HHS National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services Fall Meeting

September 10, 2018 – September 12, 2018 The Secretary’s National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS) has scheduled a public meeting for September 10-12. The meeting will be held in CHarlotte, NC, along with site visits to rural North Carolina. Information about NACRHHS and the agenda for this meeting can be found on the NACRHHS website. During the …

RUPRI Scholar, Matt Fannin, to Participate in National Acadamy of Sciences Panel

RUPRI Scholar, Matt Fannin, from Louisiana State University, will participate in a National Academy of Sciences Gulf Research Board Advisory Panel on Community Resilience on Tuesday, September 25. During this session, Dr. Fannin will participate in a conversation about metrics and data to track resilience in a multi-stressed environment. View Additional Information

Oral Testimony for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance

This testimony focuses on three areas of particular relevance, rural experience with Medicare’s accountable care organization and use of Telehealth. It will conclude with general observations about future directions in rural health policy. Spoken by Keith J. Mueller (PhD) (Interim Dean, College of Public Health; Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis; Chair, RUPRI …

Written Statement for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee

This statement focuses on three areas of particular relevance, rural experience with Medicare’s accountable care organization and use of Telehealth. It will conclude with general observations about future directions in rural health policy. Written by Keith J. Mueller (PhD) (Interim Dean, College of Public Health; Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis; Chair, RUPRI …

Delta Regional Authority’s Back To Your Roots 2018 Conference

May 17, 2018 @ 2:00 pm – May 19, 2018 @ 5:00 pm DESCRIPTION Back To Your Roots 2018 is pleased to bring you three internationally renowned Masters in their fields, Dr. Chuck Fluharty, President & CEO, Rural Policy Research Institute, Jean-Martin Fortier, Farmer & Author, The Market Gardener, and Joel Salatin, Third Generation Farmer & Author: …

Chuck Fluharty and Savannah Barrett participate in National Governors Association Experts’ Roundtable

RUPRI President and CEO Chuck Fluharty and RUPRI National Director of Next Generation Programs recently participated in an invited experts roundtable hosted by the National Governors Association, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Leveraging the Creative Sector to Strengthen Rural Economic Development took place at the Hall of States on …

Rural Poverty, Fifty Years After The People Left Behind – A Research Conference. Looking Backward and Forward.

An Invited conference lifting up multidisciplinary social science research on rural poverty in the United States on the 50thAnniversary of the 1967 report of the President’s National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty entitled The People Left Behind. This report focused attention on the economic and social conditions of the 14 million rural people living in poverty, …

Rural Cultural Wealth Lab Digital Exchange Webinar

January 23, 2018 The RUPRI Rural Cultural Wealth Lab is one of four inaugural National Endowment for the Arts Research Labs named last year, following a national competition. This national effort unites the knowledge and lived experiences of a diverse array of scholars and practitioners to explore the intersection of rural arts and culture, entrepreneurship and innovation, …

NACo Webinar:Building Arts-Driven Community and Economic Development Solutions for Your County

December 12, 2017 Join us on December 12th at 2:00 -3:15 EST for this interactive webinar to learn how counties are improving their economies and building thriving communities by leveraging their creativity and their arts and culture assets. Local communities will discuss their creative solutions to local challenges. AGENDA Introduction to webinar (Jenna Moran, Program …

RUPRI Rural Cultural Wealth Lab highlighted in NEA press release: New Research Highlights Economic Impact of the Arts in Rural Communities National Endowment for the Arts Releases Rural Arts, Design, and Innovation in America Online Conversation at #NEArural

Washington, DC—Rural arts organizations draw more non-local audiences to their venues and report greater civic leadership and customer connectedness than their urban peers, according to a new research report, Rural Arts, Design, & Innovation in America: Research Findings from the Rural Establishment Innovation Survey. Published by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the report is …

Public Transformation Exhibition Opening Events

October 20, 2017 – October 22, 2017 RUPRI partner Art of the Rural will present Public Transformation, a cross-country documentary art project highlighting how rural-based artists and arts organizations make their communities a more vibrant, healthy, connected place to live, at their Outpost Winona space October 20-22. Ashley Hanson’s little yellow school bus acted as a mobile artist residency to document …

Some Thoughts About the Crossroads Opportunity

This presentation discusses our current ‘disruptive milieu’ and the rural/urban tension in place-based policy. It will mainly touch base on rural futures as well as Crossroads. Presented by Charles W. Fluharty (President and CEO, Rural Policy Research Institute) to the Smithsonian National Planning Meeting on September 19, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. View Presentation

After Hospital Closure: Pursuing High Performance Rural Health System without Inpatient Care

The RUPRI Health Panel describes opportunities for rural communities to develop a high-performance rural health system after hospital closure, including three case studies that describe real-world transitions from a hospital-based locus of care to new models of care delivery in rural places. After Hospital Closure: Pursuing High Performance Rural Health System without Inpatient Care This paper describes …

Written Statement for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

This statement discusses the structural challenges in the current agricultural economy and how farm programs address the challenges facing farms as well as the structural challenges facing the rural economy and how rural development programs address these inherent challenges. The takeaway is that place-based Federal rural investments stimulated income and job growth and reduced poverty …

Oral Comments Accompanying Testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

This testimony discusses the structural challenges in the current agricultural economy and how farm programs address the challenges facing farms as well as the structural challenges facing the rural economy and how rural development programs address these inherent challenges. The takeaway is that place-based Federal rural investments stimulated income and job growth and reduced poverty …

NPR: Farmers Are Courting Trump, But They Don’t Speak For All Of Rural America

Chuck Fluharty, president of the Rural Policy Research Institute at the University of Iowa, which focuses on the economic health of rural communities, says small towns don’t depend much on farmers anymore — yet farmers need their struggling rural towns. Farmers “are worrying about that car dealer, and they’re worrying about that bank, and they’re …

Next Generation Rural Creative Placemaking Summit, Iowa City

October 12, 2016 – October 14, 2016 We invite you to join us in Iowa for Next Generation: A Rural Creative Placemaking Summit. The Summit is designed to enhance cross-sector collaboration, elevate intercultural perspectives within the field, and build policy presence for deeper consideration of rural creative placemaking. The event will be held  October 12-14, 2016 at the …

Live stream: National Next Generation Rural Creative Placemaking Summit at the University of Iowa

October 12- October 14, 2016 We invite you to join us in Iowa for Next Generation: A Rural Creative Placemaking Summit. The Summit was designed to enhance cross-sector collaboration, elevate intercultural perspectives within the field, and build policy presence for deeper consideration of rural creative placemaking. Held October 12-14, 2016 at the University of Iowa, this …

Livestream – A White House Rural Forum Focusing on Results in Rural Communities and a Look Forward to What’s Next: Live webcast

October 5, 2016 A White House Rural Forum Focusing on Results in Rural Communities and a Look Forward to What’s Next Join the conversation with #RuralResults. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Chair of the White House Rural Council, will convene a White House Rural Forum at Penn State University to discuss the Obama Administration’s rural strategy, …

NACRHHS Webinar: Policy Briefs on Emergency Care Models and Rural Opioid Misuse Implications

September 29, 2016 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm The National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS) has released two new policy briefs with recommendations to the Secretary of U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) on ways to address pressing issues. The first, Alternative Models to Preserving Access to Emergency Care, examines …

University of Iowa, College of Public Health: Summit explores role of arts, culture in enhancing rural communities

People living in rural communities need the same access as their urban counterparts, not only to clean water, jobs, housing and other basic standards of living, but art and culture, as well, note the backers of a growing movement called “rural creative placemaking.” Led by the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) in the University of Iowa College …

Film Screening, “Class of 27” , about Rural Early Childhood Education at U.S. Capitol Visitors Center

September 21, 2016 @ 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm Capitol Visitor CenterUnited States CapitolCongressional Meeting Room North, CVC-268 Please use the Main Entrance at First Street and East Capitol StreetThe panel discussion will highlight the unique experiences children, parents and teachers face in rural communities and will help advance dialogue around how to mobilize early childhood strategies for …

RUPRI Leader, Dr Bruce Weber to present at Agricultural and Applied Economics Association meetings – Boston

July 31, 2016 – August 2, 2016 The Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) is a not-for-profit association serving the professional interests of members working in agricultural and broadly related fields of applied economics. Members of the AAEA are employed by academic or government institutions, as well as in industry and not-for-profit organizations, and engage in a …

Fluharty honored for distinguished leadership in rural development at Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant Commencement ceremony

Charles Fluharty, clinical professor of health management and policy, and founder, president, and CEO of the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI), was recently honored by Iowa Wesleyan University as the inaugural recipient of the Presidential Medal for Outstanding Merit. The award, conferred during the Iowa Wesleyan University commencement ceremony on May 7, recognizes Fluharty for “lifelong …

RUPRI President, Chuck Fluharty, to participate in discussion of White House Rural Council at NADO Policy Conference

April 5, 2016 @ 10:15 am – 11:15 am The Future of the White House Rural Council Established by President Obama in 2011, the White House Rural Council has provided a framework for addressing challenges in rural America. In launching several successful initiatives designed to grow the rural economy, the council has worked to streamline federal programs, …

RUPRI Participates in first convening of the White House Rural Council and the National Association of Counties – Opportunity for All: Building a Brighter Future for Rural Families

View Full Article Between 2012 and 2014, child poverty fell further than it had since 2000, indicating that the economic recovery is starting to improve prospects for poor families. Still, in 2014, roughly 2.5 million children in rural areas were poor and approximately 1.2 million children lived in rural families with cash incomes below half …

Webinar: Are some Rural Areas of the US seeing a Drop in Life Expectancy and Increased Mortality? —– RUPRI National Policy Programs Director, Jocelyn Richgels will be presenting

January 28, 2016 The National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services will host a Webinar on January 28, 2016 at 2:00 pm ET on its recent Policy Brief Mortality and Life Expectancy in Rural America. Webinar Panelists:The Honorable Ronnie Musgrove, Chair of the NACRHHSWayne Myers, MDCurt Mueller, PhDAlana Knudson, PhDJocelyn B. Richgels Recent articles …

National Academy of Sciences releases report: Rationalizing Rural Area Classifications for ERS, including presentations from RUPRI Leaders, Dr. Tom Johnson and Dr. Bruce Weber

National Academy of Sciences releases report Rationalizing Rural Area Classifications for the Economic Research Service, including presentations from RUPRI Leaders, Dr. Tom Johnson and Dr. Bruce Weber. The Economic Research Service at USDA maintains four distinct geographic classification systems to designate areas by the degree to which they are rural. In April 2015, the Committee …

RUPRI President Chuck Fluharty Participates in White House Convening on Rural Placemaking

Quote from RUPRI President Chuck Fluharty  at White House Convening on Rural Placemaking on November 17, 2015. “Charles Fluharty, President and CEO of the Rural Policy Research Institute, spoke to the remarkable significance of the White House meeting: “You never know the most important things in your life as you’re going through them,” he said. …

Rural Wealth Creation Team receives USDA Abraham Lincoln Honor Award

LINCOLN HONOR AWARD: For leading a national research program on rural wealth creation that incorporates a broader conception of wealth into efforts to achieve and measure rural prosperity. RUPRI Team: Dr. Bruce Weber, Professor of Applied Economics and Director of the Rural Studies Program, Oregon State University Dr. Matthew Fannin, Associate Professor, Louisiana State University …

National Rural Health Day- Live Webcast: Featuring Dr Keith Mueller – Rural Health Delivery System Reform

November 19, 2015 November 19th, 2015 is the 5th Annual National Rural Health Day! The Rural Assistance Center is pleased to partner with the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health for a series of live National Rural Health Day events that celebrate the power of rural. Join Dr. Keith Mueller, Director of the Department of …

RUPRI President and CEO Chuck Fluharty to present at NACo NADO Innovation Challenge for Coal-Reliant Communities program

November 18, 2015 – November 20, 2015 NACo and the NADO Research Foundation, with support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), are pleased to announce the eight teams selected for the final round of the Innovation Challenge for Coal-Reliant Communities program.  The selected teams—led by counties and regional development organizations and including a broad range of …

RUPRI President and CEO Chuck Fluharty to present at NTCA TELECOM EXECUTIVE POLICY SUMMIT

November 18, 2015 Beyond Rural Walls: Identifying Impacts and InterdependenciesAmong Rural and Urban Spaces Presented By Smart Rural Community and Foundation for Rural Service in collaboration with Rep. Bill Johnson (Ohio, 6th Dist.) and Senator Al Frankin (Minnesota) View Agenda View Website

Philanthropic Investment in Rural America: The Real Story and How We Can Change It

This presentation touches upon the rural need and the rationale for philanthropic investment. It also discusses the place of the public sector in private philanthropy. Presented by Charles W. Fluharty (President and CEO, Rural Policy Research Institute) to the 2014 HAC Rural Housing Conference on December 4, 2014 in Washington, D.C. View Presentation

Recommitting to Rural America: The Expanding Crisis of Rural Poverty and its Effects

This presentation views rural poverty as well as rural economic and structural challenges. It also looks into reframing the rural/urban dialectic. Presented by Charles W. Fluharty (President and CEO, Rural Policy Research Institute) to the Council On Foundations 2014 Philanthropy Exchange on June 9, 2014 in Washington, D.C. View Presentation