When the nearest hospital is hours away, health care becomes more than inconvenient—it becomes inaccessible. Nearly one in five Americans live in a rural community and they face unique barriers that can prevent them from getting care when they need it most. The challenges worsen when rural hospitals and clinics close due to funding changes, leaving entire communities without essential services.

“Access to care is a critical factor in overall health and wellbeing,” said Peggy Maguire, president of Cambia Health Foundation. "When we invest in rural health infrastructure and workforce, we're not just helping individuals—we're strengthening entire communities.”

A Data-Driven Approach to Whole-Person Health

On average, people in rural communities live three years less than their peers in urban settings because they experience higher rates of chronic illness and have more limited access to primary and mental health care. 

“When we looked at the data to see where our investments could have the most impact, we were drawn to rural communities because people living there tend to have higher rates of poverty, less access to primary and behavioral health care, and experience a variety of unmet health-related social needs,” said Maguire.

Additionally, 70% of provider shortages occur in rural areas. That’s why Cambia Health Foundation has invested nearly $1.7 million in rural communities in recent years to attract new providers and support existing ones. Below are a few examples of grantees that are making strides in increasing health care access for rural communities: 

Project ECHO Idaho (Idaho)

Idaho has a critical shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists and it’s also the only state in the country without a pediatric psychiatric access program. In response, we recently invested in Project ECHO Idaho to address this crisis and begin planning the Idaho Pediatric Psychiatry Access Line, which will provide free, timely consultations to primary care physicians across the state, ultimately making mental health care more accessible for youth. This initiative, housed under University of Idaho’s School of Health and Medical Professions, especially benefits rural families who are struggling to access specialized behavioral health care, helping to ensure that all Idaho youth are better equipped to build resilience and improve coping skills.

La Clinica (Oregon)

La Clinica provides integrated care for nearly 30,000 patients each year, most of whom are low income, have limited English proficiency or face other complex challenges. As the need for behavioral health rises, La Clinica providers recognized that additional training was needed for their behavioral health care staff. With a recent Foundation grant, La Clinica launched a dedicated training program for recent behavioral health graduates to improve access to behavioral health for rural communities in Jackson County, OR.

“Funding like this makes a real and lasting difference for rural communities,” said Brenda Johnson, CEO of La Clinica. “It helps us train and support behavioral health professionals who are deeply committed to serving where the need is greatest. For families in small towns across southern Oregon, access to integrated behavioral health care can be life changing. Support from Cambia Health Foundation allows us to expand that access—bringing care closer to home and helping people build healthier, more hopeful lives.”

Moab Free Health Clinic (Utah)

Moab Free Health Clinic (MFHC) is located in a rural and underserved mental health professional shortage area in Southeastern Utah, about 110 miles away from the nearest city with higher level medical care. To fill the void, MFHC offers integrated health care services that are free and open to uninsured individuals. Due to their rural location, they’ve struggled with provider recruitment. In response, we recently invested in their efforts to launch a virtual program where a graduate-level behavioral health student from Utah State University will provide weekly sessions (with training and supervision) during their 36-week practicum. By partnering with USU and the University of Utah Psychiatry Residency Program, the Zoom to Wellness program strengthens clinical training and exposes future providers to the needs of rural and underserved communities, supporting long-term growth of Utah’s behavioral health workforce.  

Yakima Neighborhood Health (Washington) 

When people in rural communities have unmet social needs – like food insecurity, homelessness or lack of transportation – it can make accessing care even more difficult. For 50 years, Yakima Neighborhood Health Services has served the City of Yakima and surrounding rural areas, providing accessible health and social services to vulnerable populations. With a recent Foundation grant, it expanded its Advanced Practice Provider Residency program to include a mobile medicine component, bringing integrated care directly to people experiencing homelessness in downtown Yakima, surrounding rural areas and the Yakama Reservation. Taking whole-person integrated services outside of the clinic to where people are living will increase access, reduce avoidable emergency room visits and improve health outcomes.

National Rural Health Day

With 66 million Americans living in rural areas nationwide, strengthening rural health uplifts entire communities and states. National Rural Health Day, which occurs each year on the third Thursday of November, reminds us that this issue affects us all and that collective action is needed to ensure every person has access to whole-person health care, no matter where they live.

"This is a critical time for supporting the health care workforce and bringing providers into rural areas,” said Maguire. “Every person deserves access to whole-person health, no matter who they are or where they live.”