Rural counties, rural counties adjacent to metro counties, and urban non-metro counties, according to the Iowa State University Midwest Profiles and based on the USDA Beale Code Definitions.

Towns and Cities

POP_2000

under 6,000

6,001 - 15,000

15,001 - 25,000

!. 25,001 - 50,000

&3 50,001 - 100,000

!. 100,001 - 250,000

") over 250,000

RUCA Census Tracts

(Rural Urban Commuting Areas)

1 - Urban Area (UA): 50k+

2 - High Flow to UA

3 - Low Flow to UA

4 - Urban Cluster (UC): 10k - 50k

5 - High Flow to UC

6 - Low Flow to UC

7 - Small UC: 2,500 - 10,000

8 - High flow to Small UC

9 - Low Flow to Small UC

10 - Primary Flow not UA

Communities Affected Last Year

Critical Access Hospitals

59 CAHS in WI, 6th largest in the nation

• First certified CAH was in Eagle River in October of 1999.

• Almost half of WI hospitals are CAHs

• About half of Wisconsin’s CAHs belong to the Rural Wisconsin Health Coop (RWHC)

• A high concentration are part of a system – therefore information and resources shared with the CAH ripple out into the larger system

◘ WI ranks 3rd nationally in its funding for all Flex program years

WI County Health Rankings, 2006 by UW Population Health Institute

Top Quartile:

10 Urban 8 Rural

Bottom Quartile:

4 Urban14 Rural

“Health Outcomes” constructed from:

• 50% Mortality: years of potential life lost prior to age 75

• 50%: General health status (self-reported)

Wisconsin Office of Rural Health

Workforce• Full time Physician and Dentist Recruiters• (Allied) Health Careers Website• Loan Assistance Program• WI Academy of Rural Medicine (WARM)

Rural Hospitals/Clinics/EMS• Flex Program• SHIP Program

Informational Resource• Fed/State/Regional research• Daily News Feed• Website of resources• Training series online

Rural Communities• Rural capacity building• Strong Rural Communities Initiative • Rural Health Development Council• Health Information Technology

Advocacy (Federal, state and regional)• Connecting independent efforts• Academic/community partnerships