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Rural Hospital Programs

We provide technical assistance and support to rural hospitals.

Rural hospitals are essential. More than half of all hospitals in the United States are in rural areas.

How do our programs work?

  1. We fund states through four grant programs
  2. We provide data, evaluation, and technical assistance to state grantees
  3. We offer technical assistance to hospitals

Which programs support states?

Which of your programs provide data, evaluation and technical assistance?

Which programs support rural hospitals?

These programs provide free technical assistance to hospitals. We fund organizations to provide technical assistance.

How does the closing of rural hospitals affect rural communities?

We help rural hospitals closing and provide support to maintain services. 

We identify hospitals that have closed or will close. We help these hospitals maintain services.

How do you know which hospitals will close?

We receive reports from people or learn about them from the media. This allows us to monitor closures in real time.

How can I share information about hospital closures?

Email the North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center at ncrural@unc.edu.

How serious is this issue?

Between 2010 and 2021, 138 rural hospitals closed. Of these, 45 were Critical Access Hospitals. These events received a lot of attention from policy makers, advocates, and the media.

Where can I review research on the closing of rural hospitals?

Visit the Rural Health Research Gateway

Additional resources

The Guide for Rural Health Care Collaboration and Coordination (PDF - 1 MB) (2019)
The 21 Century Rural Hospital Chartbook (PDF - 3 MB)

Contact us

Project Officers for Rural Hospital Programs

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