September 2025 Center for Rural Health Update

FOCUS on Rural Health

The Missing Link
Community health workers, a newly christened public health position, bridge the gap in rural healthcare.

News

2025-2026 Scrubs Camp Grant Recipients Announced
Twelve communities have been awarded funding to host a Rural Collaborative Opportunities for Occupational Learning in Health (R-COOL-Health) Scrubs Camp.

Black Lung Screening Available in North Dakota
Screenings are taking place to check for black lung in people who may have worked in or around coal mines.

Improving Emergency Department Transfer Communication in Critical Access Hospitals
The North Dakota Flex Program at the Center for Rural Health (CRH) has developed a five-year cohort to help hospitals improve Quality Improvement scores involving emergency department transfers.

CRH Welcomes New Employee
Shelly Davis joins the National Resource Center on Native American Aging as a research coordinator.

Funding & Other Opportunities

Virtual Concussion Symposium to Be Held September 19
The North Dakota Brain Injury Network (NDBIN) is hosting a free virtual symposium featuring presentations on concussions and brain injury.
Deadline: September 18

Recruiting for Retention Webinar Series
3RNET is hosting a six-part webinar series beginning on October 7. The series will focus on the recruiting process, and will cover effective recruitment plans, tools, and best practices specific to rural locations. Registration fees are sponsored by CRH for healthcare employers in rural or urban underserved communities in North Dakota who would like to attend.

CRH Events

September 19	Virtual Concussion Symposium This symposium will feature new concussion research, trends, practice strategies, and collaborative models of care. Hosted by NDBIN.
October 1	Webinar: Altru Inpatient Behavioral Health Hosted by NDBIN, this webinar will feature Melissa Lennon, director of business development for Altru's Inpatient Behavioral Health Center, as she shares the services they provide for adolescent and adult patients.
October 2	New Qualified Service Provider (QSP): Next Steps Monthly Meeting This monthly meeting will provide recently approved QSPs an introduction to the QSP handbook as well as resources, links, and advice to support them as a QSP.
October 7	Webinar: Keys to Successful Recruiting for Retention: Innovative Tools and Resources to Streamline Processes Hosted by 3RNET, this webinar is the first of a six-part series on recruiting for retention in rural and underserved areas.
October 27‑31	Primary Care Week National Primary Care Week is an annual event held to highlight the importance of primary care and bring healthcare professionals together. Events during the week will be held at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences (UND SMHS) in Grand Forks and virtually via Zoom.

Publications & Resources

Matrescence
In this peer-reviewed publication, Erin Kunz, information specialist with the Rural Health Information Hub, reflects on her transformation into motherhood, describing the physical, emotional, and psychological shifts that accompany the process known as matrescence.