New rural health research gateway web site now available The Center for Rural Health launched a new rural health research gateway web site. The site, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, features rural health research conducted by the federal Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)’s Rural Health Research Centers on topics such as access to care, health care quality management and improvement, Medicare and Medicaid, health information technology, health workforce, patient safety, and public and mental health. At the web site, http://www.ruralhealthresearch.org, users can: • Search for summaries of research projects, both under way and completed. • Find fact sheets, policy briefs, and other publications resulting from the work of the research centers. • Access information about the eight ORHP-funded Rural Health Research Centers, including contacts and areas of expertise. “Rural health care can face significant challenges and it is hard to find solutions when you are operating in a data-free zone,” said Mary Wakefield, director of the Center for Rural Health. “The Rural Health Research Gateway will help to move information more rapidly so it can be used to address those challenges.” “As an organization that represents diverse interests across the U.S., this is a highly valuable, and frankly essential resource,” said Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association. “This site will help new rural health research findings get to the field as quickly as possible, which can be a challenge.” The Rural Health Research Gateway is a project of the Center for Rural Health, in conjunction with the RUPRI Health Panel and the University of Southern Maine. -- Amanda Scurry, public information specialist, UND SMHS, ascurry@medicine.nodak.edu, 701-777-0871