FROM THE SPECIAL SECTIONS DEPARTMENT
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Strengthening the Heartland: Investing in Rural America
"Strengthening the Heartland: Investing in Rural America" is a Special Advertising supplement to The Washington Times.
Recent Stories
Rural communities are counting on us
Rural healthcare is top-of-mind for many Iowans.
The forgotten smoker lives in rural America
For years, the United States' relationship with smoking has been framed as a story of decline. Fewer people smoke than they once did. Rates have fallen significantly over the past two decades.
A way out of the rural healthcare crisis
Across America, rural healthcare is in crisis. Since 2010, 206 rural hospitals have ended inpatient care or shuttered altogether, while another 417 are at risk of doing the same.
Holding broadband providers accountable in rural America
Rural America is a special and unique place, filled by a collection of small towns united by their desire for freedom and determination to take care of one another.
America's rural communities deserve supply chains powered by recycling
As America celebrates 250 years as a nation, it's worth recognizing what makes this country, in its relatively short existence, so great.
America's specialty crop farmers face major challenges. We can help
When people think of Maine, one of the first things that probably springs to mind is lobster. And rightly so. We have the bar-none best in the world, after all!
A handshake, hard work, and healthcare access
There is a quiet rhythm in rural America you will not find anywhere else. It is the sound of gravel under your boots instead of the constant hum of a concrete jungle.
The Alzheimer's crisis hits rural America hardest
June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness of this disease and building support for the research, care and policy progress that can make a real difference.
How the farm bill moves rural America forward
No single piece of legislation has a greater impact on rural America than a farm bill. And that, of course, is because a farm bill is not really a single piece of legislation at all.
Strengthening rural healthcare with the 2026 Farm Bill
Earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed the 2026 Farm Bill, delivering much-needed certainty for farmers and rural communities across southern Minnesota and the country.
Healthy rural hospitals are the key to rural health
Decaturville, Tenn., about halfway between Memphis and Nashville, sits 20 miles south of the interstate that connects the state's two largest cities.
Are we willing to lose rural America?
The question may sound dramatic, but it deserves serious consideration: Are we willing to accept a future in which rural America becomes increasingly unaffordable for the families who built it?
In rural America, prevention is the prescription we can't afford to skip
I've spent most of my life on the front lines of healthcare in East Tennessee, first as a community pharmacist, and now as a member of Congress serving one of the most rural districts in the country.
Rural communities deserve the same high-quality healthcare access, opportunities
In Washington, healthcare debates often focus on insurance plans, reimbursement rates and federal spending. In rural America, the conversation is often much simpler: Will there be a hospital nearby when you need one?
Texas is ready to meet the moment for rural healthcare
Growing up in rural Texas, I have seen firsthand both the strengths and challenges of rural healthcare.
Improving home dialysis for rural Americans
My home state of West Virginia is one of the most rural in our country. Its rolling hills, beautiful streams, and forests stretch for miles.
It's the right time for the Rural Health Transformation Program
Compared to urban and suburban areas, rural communities have fewer inpatient and outpatient clinics to provide care for individuals and families.
In rural America, the road to better health runs through broadband
When people picture the challenges facing rural health care, they tend to picture buildings: the hospital an hour away, the clinic that closed, the specialist who is three counties over.