Rural Health Insights for Each State & Congressional District

Understand the Landscape of Rural Health in the United States for Every State and Congressional District

Stroudwater Associates, in partnership with the National Rural Healthcare Association (NRHA) and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), has developed an integrated data visualization dashboard of healthcare infrastructure, workforce, outcomes, and status metrics. These tools will help policymakers, state and community leaders, rural health advocates, provider organizations and researchers understand the impact and status of rural health within each state and congressional district.

Infrastructure

Utiliziation

Beds
Days
Discharges
Visits

Workforce

Shortage Areas

Primary Care
Dental Health
Mental Health

Prevention

Health Outcomes

Health Factors

Data Sources Utilized:

HRSA Data Explorer

Healthcare Provider Cost Reporting Information System (HCRIS)

CDC Places-County Level Estimates

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings, 2023 Release

United States Census

National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) downloadable file

Stroudwater Associates analysis

United States Census

National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) downloadable file

Stroudwater Associates analysis

Each state has a rural health plan with specific goals. To achieve these, state officers can analyze regional data to allocate funds effectively and maximize impact. For example, Flex Coordinators must submit annual needs assessment reports to the federal government, and this program simplifies data review to support those reports. Additionally, SORHs conduct hospital site visits, where the dashboard's data can guide discussions on hospital needs using community-specific metrics.

The dashboard's data and visualizations provide a valuable resource for rural and community hospital leadership, offering actionable insights to drive decision-making and advocacy efforts. By leveraging this tool, hospital leaders can set and align internal priorities based on data-driven analysis, ensuring resources are directed toward the areas of greatest impact.

The dashboard also supports productive discussions with key stakeholders, including board members, staff, and community partners, by providing clear and concise visual representations of critical metrics. These insights can help frame conversations about organizational goals, challenges, and opportunities, fostering alignment and collaboration.

The dashboard serves as a powerful tool for fostering fact-based dialogue with decision-makers and community members, providing a shared foundation for meaningful discussions. By offering clear, accessible data visualizations and a standardized framework, the dashboard supports productive conversations with policymakers and their staff, ensuring that insights are grounded in reliable metrics.

National Rural Health Association

The National Rural Health Association is a national nonprofit membership organization that brings together thousands of members across the United States. The association’s mission is to provide leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education and research.

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National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health

The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health was established to assist State Offices of Rural Health in their efforts to improve access to, and the quality of, health care for nearly 61 million rural Americans.

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Stroudwater Associates

At Stroudwater, we have an all-encompassing devotion to rural & community healthcare nationwide. We believe in the power of rural & community healthcare and are deeply committed to keeping care local.

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