Medicaid expansion provides lifeline in rural areas
May 30, 2024
Affordable Care Act has ensured more people have health insurance and hospitals are more likely to be compensated for care.
American Heart Association
The Road to Rural Health
Confronting health challenges faced by 66 million people in rural U.S. communities through science, education and advocacy.
Small towns have a big problem with health care. But they also have the resilience to meet the problem. People in rural communities live almost three years fewer than urban dwellers, and they’re more likely to die early from heart disease or a stroke.
The reasons are varied and not always understood.
Higher rates of tobacco use, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure increase the risk for serious diseases. Rural communities face severe shortages of health care professionals. People may live a long way from hospitals or clinics. Or they may reside in “food deserts,” remote from reliable access to healthy food.
Even so, the advantages of rural life, including a strong sense of connection, of neighbors helping neighbors, provide a sturdy foundation for overcoming these health disparities.
Stories from rural America
Imagine not having a doctor in town. Think what it would mean to live 200 miles from the nearest hospital. One in five people in the U.S. may face just such realities because of where they live. We’re zeroing in on some of the major health issues facing rural America and what’s being done about them.
The American Heart Association visited Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky, The Dakotas and West Virginia to try to understand the rural health challenges people face, and how they are working to overcome them. Watch our Health Wanted video reports to see how they’re responding to improve their communities.
Alaska
Great distances and multiple health care systems in the nation’s largest state.
Kansas
The Ioway tribe grapples with food insecurity by returning to traditional farming methods.
Kentucky
People face rugged terrain, long distances and other barriers to health.
The Dakotas
Long distances and fewer medical professionals impact emergency response.
West Virginia
While the state ranks low in many health categories, people there are working to make a difference.
The AHA responds
The AHA has issued a Presidential Advisory identifying rural health challenge as one of three main barriers to health equity and is making a wide-ranging effort to address it in close cooperation with communities that are affected.
The Advisory highlights these urgent needs:
- Increase access to care
- Improve quality of care
- Reduce risk factors
Initiatives in action
Removing barriers to health in rural areas is a top priority for the AHA, which is directing energy and resources to close the gap between rural and urban care. Here’s how:
Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator
Improving care at hospitals and clinics with no-cost access to Get With the Guidelines® programs for coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke.
HeartCorps
Enlisting service-minded people to work in rural communities to improve heart health.
HeartCorps is a service opportunity for those interested in driving health equity in rural America with the AHA.
Health Equity Research Network on Rural Health
Funding $20 million in projects to find fresh solutions to the issues.
Support our mission and you can join us in helping rural communities
We’re dedicated to removing barriers to health – such as the challenges rural Americans face. We’re telling these stories to raise awareness about these problems. Join our efforts to combat issues in rural America and in other communities.
Donate: Your gift can help support the full mission of the AHA, including increased access to care.
Rural Health News & Stories
State and local efforts aim to ease access to heart care in rural Kentucky
May 29, 2024
In a state where mountains and winding roads can make getting emergency services and health care hard, Kentuckians turn to technology and new training for help.
Outreach helps rural patients tackle high blood pressure at home
May 24, 2024
Through partnerships with clinics and funders in West Virginia and across the U.S., the AHA helps provide blood pressure devices to people with little access to care.
They're not doctors. But they're on the front lines against West Virginia's health struggles.
May 23, 2024
West Virginia has some of the highest rates of chronic illness in the nation, with doctors and hospitals few and far between. Community health workers fill that gap.
Fostering better heart health in rural America
May 22, 2024
The AHA offers toolkits, educational materials, staff training and other resources in rural areas, all to help reduce cardiovascular risk factors and improve heart health.
A family affair: Breaking the generational cycle of heart disease in West Virginia
May 21, 2024
Statistically, West Virginia is among the least-healthy states in the nation. Breaking that stranglehold requires a massive cultural shift. Families in the rural town of Rainelle are trying to do just that.