#ruralhealth

"In April of last year, the Trump administration paused the enforcement of a rule designed to help protect coal miners from an aggressive form of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, commonly known as black lung disease, the primary cause of which is exposure to silica dust...This April, the Labor Department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced an indefinite delay in enforcement of the rule." https://kffhealthnews.org/rural-health/coal-miners-black-lung-disease-silicosis-silica-dust-pneumoconiosis-trump-west-virginia/ #PublicHealth #OccHealth #coal #mining #RuralHealth #USpol

The federal government funds a peer-to-peer counselling service for nurses and midwives that's keeping people in the job. Dave Corstorphan from remote WA credits the program with saving his career after his wife's death and burnout. 42% of callers are from regional locations. But most staff still don't know it exists, and many fear speaking up while working for a state government department. The system spends big on treating the harm after it's done, but invests peanuts in the prevention that keeps experienced clinicians in remote communities. A rare win for a service that works, and proof we should fund more of the same. #auspol #ruralhealth

A Missouri couple driving hours across rural America to bring dementia care to medical deserts https://www.npr.org/2026/08/19/nx-s1-5927463/this-impacts-everyone-missouri-couple-brings-dementia-care-to-medical-deserts An estimated 7.4 million Americans live with dementia. That figure is expected to climb in the coming decades. One Missouri couple is on a mission to bring more dementia care to medical deserts. #wellness #dementia #ruralhealth

"Nebraska is racing to implement Medicaid work requirements by May 1 — eight months before the national deadline set by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed by Congress last summer. And not only is the state first out of the gate, its government plans to do it without hiring any additional staff..." https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/14/medicaid-nebraska-work-requirements-expansion-00869387 #healthcare #medicaid #ACA #obamacare #insurance #CMS #disabilities #RuralHealth #poverty #nebraska

"But the state Department of Public Health and Human Services postponed adding doula services to its Medicaid program in late March, citing a budget shortfall driven in part by higher-than-expected Medicaid costs." https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/doula-care-indigenous-health-medicaid-cuts-montana-tribe/ #healthcare #medicaid #ReproHealth #ReproJustice #pregnancy #doulas #RuralHealth #NativeAmerican #Indigenous #Cheyenne #CostsOfCare

"In North Carolina, where a clinician practices can make all the difference for someone seeking maternity care...Dozens of counties have no local obstetrics care, so families are forced to travel long distances for deliveries. That distance to care for rural patients has been linked to higher rates of cesarean sections, preterm births and maternal complications." https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/03/16/lawmakers-hear-how-rural-women-face-risks-to-give-birth/ #healthcare #ReproHealth #ReproJustice #pregnancy #MaternalHealth #RuralHealth #obstetrics #NorthCarolina