December 2025 Center for Rural Health Update
FOCUS on Rural Health
Where Careers Begin
Primary Care Week brings students and employers together.
News
Quinn Receives National Brain Injury
Recognition
Rebecca Quinn received an award from the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators in
October.
Reimagining the Dakota Conference on Rural
Health
The Dakota Conference on Rural Health will be held June 3-4, 2026, in Grand Forks.
Resources Available for Rural Emergency
Hospitals
Rural Emergency Hospitals and facilities considering conversion can access resources at no cost.
CRH Welcomes New
Employee
Beth Beckers joins the Center for Rural Health (CRH) as a resource facilitator with the North Dakota
Brain Injury Network.
Funding & Other Opportunities
North Dakota
Critical Access Hospital Subcontract Program
Funding is available to support North Dakota Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and CAH-owned Rural Health
Clinics in identifying potential areas of financial and operational improvement. There will be a technical
assistance meeting on December 18 at 2:00 pm Central.
Deadline to apply: January 9, 2026
Dakota Conference on Rural
Health
The Dakota Conference on Rural Health will take place in Grand Forks, North Dakota at the Alerus Center on
June 3-4, 2026. The conference will feature one and a half days of keynotes, breakout sessions, an awards
ceremony, and more.
- The deadline to submit a poster or oral presentation abstract is January 9, 2026.
- The deadline to submit an application for a scholarship to cover the conference registration fee is March 6, 2026.
- The attendee registration early bird deadline is March 31, 2026.
CRH Events
| December 17 |
TeleECHO:
Identifying Hidden Needs – Trauma-Informed Screening to Guide Treatment and
Referral Nicola Herting, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in working with children and families impacted by trauma, will present in this teleECHO clinic. |
| January 8, 2026 |
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. |
| January 13, 2026 |
TeleECHO:
Nutrition Accessibility and Health Outcomes in Aging Adults This Geriatric and Age-Friendly teleECHO will cover the relationship between nutrition and health outcomes. |
Publications & Resources
In Rural Communities, Where Child
Care Is Often Scarce, Healthcare Organizations Are Finding Creative Ways to Help
Rural Health Information Hub's newest Rural Monitor article looks at how rural healthcare
organizations in Indiana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin partnered with childcare providers, schools,
businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations to meet the demand for affordable child care.
North Dakota Brain Injury Network
Newsletter
The winter issue of the North Dakota Brain Injury Network newsletter is now available.
Availability of Higher-Level Neonatal Care
Services in Rural U.S. Counties, 2010-2022
This new publication shared by the Rural Health Research Gateway from the University of Minnesota Rural
Health Research Center highlights changes in the availability of higher-level neonatal care in rural U.S.
counties from 2010 to 2022, and how this availability differs by rural county type (micropolitan vs.
noncore).
Medical Students Write About Health Outcomes
The Targeted Rural Health Education (TRHE) project helps resident physicians and health profession students
take a closer look at the health needs of communities in which they are training. The writers promote
positive health outcomes in their rural communities. Here are the three most recent articles: