June 2026 Center for Rural Health Update

FOCUS on Rural Health

Pathway to Practice: How North Dakota Keeps Its Physicians Rural
The University of North Dakota (UND) School of Medicine & Health Sciences aims to recruit rural physicians through a variety of programs.

News

Quinn Presents at National Workshop on Brain Injury
Rebecca Quinn, associate director at the Center for Rural Health, presented at the National Academies of Science, Medicine, and Engineering workshop, Mental Health After a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) – From Evidence to Integrated Care, in Washington, D.C., in May.

CRH Releases Updated Grant Writing Toolkit
This free resource provides rural communities and organizations with guidance when applying for rural health funding.

Conference Tackles Challenges of Health Care Workforce
At the Dakota Conference on Rural Health, several UND programs shared how they are working to strengthen the health workforce.
Source: UND Today

INMED Program, Shawnda Schroeder Honored at Conference
A UND program and professor were honored for work educating Indigenous health professionals during the Dakota Conference.
Source: UND Today

Funding & Other Opportunities

Telehealth Nutrition Services Network Grant Program
The Telehealth Nutrition Services Network Grant Program will support telehealth networks that improve access to quality healthcare services through telehealth technology. This program will use telehealth nutrition services to help prevent and manage chronic diseases. Funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Deadline: July 8

Now Accepting R-COOL-Health Scrubs Camp Grant Applications
Grant applications are being accepted to host a Scrubs Camp in your community. Through creative and interactive activities, these exciting camps provide an opportunity for students in grades 5-12 to learn about health careers available in rural North Dakota.
Deadline: August 14

CRH Events

June 17	TeleECHO: Together, Yet Alone – How the Most Connected Generations Became the Loneliest and What We Can Do About It This Pediatric Mental Health clinic will be presented by Thad Shunkwiler, an associate professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a licensed behavioral health provider.
June 17	Webinar: A Tour of Youth Behavioral Health Services Landscape – Prevalence, Treatment, and the Workforce This webinar, hosted by the Rural Health Research Gateway, will share findings from multiple studies on youth behavioral health issues in the rural U.S., describing the prevalence of behavioral health conditions among youth, the youth behavioral health workforce, and the provision of youth behavioral health services.
June 22	Webinar: Transforming Rural Health – RHTP and Value-Based Payment Join RHIhub on June 22 at 12:00 pm Central for a webinar featuring Keith Mueller from Rural Health Value. He will discuss Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) activities that link to value-based payment arrangements in rural communities.
June 24	Webinar: Buddy the Brain Ali Rheaume, a speaker, educator, artist, author, and brain injury survivor, will share her story of becoming an author after brain injury. Hosted by the North Dakota Brain Injury Network.
July 2	New Qualified Service Provider (QSP): Next Steps Monthly Meeting This monthly meeting will provide recently approved QSPs with an introduction to the QSP handbook, as well as resources, links, and advice to support them in their role as a QSP. Hosted by the North Dakota QSP Hub.

Publications & Resources

2010-2024 County-Level Hospital-Based Obstetric Care Status
This resource provides data on the availability of hospital-based obstetric care in each U.S. county for the years 2010-2014. This resource was created by the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center and the Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program, and is distributed by the Rural Health Research Gateway.

Improving Emergency Department Transfer Communication in Critical Access Hospitals
Presented by Anna Walter, Stephanie Fugleberg, Montana Halberg, Kristen Jung, and Megan Sylling on June 4 at the 2026 Dakota Conference, held at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

The North Dakota CAH Quality Network and RHC Network: Strengthening Rural Quality Through Collaboration
Presented by Anahita Anvari-Clark, Kari Novak, ArvaDell Sharp, and Anna Walter on June 4 at the 2026 Dakota Conference, held at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.

Preventing Youth Concussions in Rural North Dakota: Monitoring for Better Outcomes
Presented by Carly Endres and Andrea Watkins on June 4 at the 2026 Dakota Conference, held at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.