PUBLICATIONS
Rick Cohen wrote an article recently for the NonProfit Quarterly, “USDA Study: Rural Philanthropy Still an Underfunded Afterthought”. He writes, “The boost in rural grantmaking still isn’t there despite much attention from the foundations’ national trade association (the Council on Foundations) and some parts of the federal government, and the evidence is in the report from Agriculture on rural philanthropy.” Read more here.
“Las Colonias in the 21st Century: Progress Along the Texas-Mexico Border”. This report focuses on infrastructure, housing, economic opportunity, education, and health in the six Texas counties that have the highest concentration of colonias: El Paso, Maverick, Webb, Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron. In just these six counties, colonia communities are home to an estimated 369,500 people. Read the report here. Source: The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
“Unequal Lives: The State of Black Women and Families in the Rural South” that analyzes the health and well-being of low-income black women in nine rural counties across Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, and identifies barriers to success and economic security, including poverty, low educational attainment, and inadequate access to public infrastructure, healthcare, and more. The report includes statistics and demographics for each of the states and counties included in the study. Click here to get the report. Source: The Children's Defense Fund's Southern Regional Office
Recent research has explored the economic value of rural broadband adoption. Sponsored by the National Agricultural and Rural Development Policy Center (NARDeP), a study released last year found that, between 2001 and 2010, rural counties where more than 60 percent of households adopted broadband experienced higher income growth and smaller unemployment growth than those counties that did not. The study, Broadband׳s contribution to economic growth in rural areas: Moving towards a causal relationship, also finds that rural counties where fewer than 40 percent of households adopted broadband experienced lower business and employment growth. 2014
2014 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report: Chartbook on Rural Health Care
A summary of trends in healthcare quality and disparities for rural populations. Includes quality measures for rural populations addressing patient safety, person-centered care, effective treatment, healthy living, and access. Part of a series of publications related to the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report. Organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Date: 08 / 2015
Trends in Indian Health: 2014 Edition
An overview of Indian Health Service (IHS) programs and American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) health status. Includes charts depicting the IHS organizational structure and data on tribal and IHS healthcare facilities. Provides AI/AN demographic and socioeconomic data. Includes birth and death rates, with information by cause of death. Also provides data on patient care delivery.
Organization: Indian Health Service, Date: 2015
Texas Strives To Lure Mental Health Providers To Rural Counties - Sep 1, 2015 -- Describes both the need for and the strategies being explored to bring more students graduating with mental health degrees into rural areas of Texas. Source: National Public Radio and Kaiser Health News
TOOLS
The recently re-launched website, Racial Equity Tools, compiles resources and curricula for communities and organizations working to advance racial justice. The site features learning modules, films, and discussion guides designed to build understanding of how structural racism and other forms of inequity affect employment, food justice, and other human development issues. Visit the site here.
Rural Assistance Center (RAC) has developed a guide titled “Rural Hunger and Access to Healthy Food”. A nutritious diet is important for maintaining good health, but accessing fresh and affordable food can be a challenge for some rural residents. This RAC topic guide provides information on how to address food security issues in every rural community, including funding and assistance programs, model programs, strategies, and more. Access the guide here
