Find Rural Health Programs and Resources
The USDA has many programs and resources that can support rural communities improve their health and quality of life, but many programs do not have “health” in the title or description. To help rural community leaders and others to identify which USDA programs and resources can help improve a rural community’s health, a USDA Rural Health Inventory tool has been developed.
This tool is a curated library of active USDA’s programs and resources that support rural health. You can use the filters at the top to simplify your search in finding the programs and resources available by Sub-Agency, Program Type, or Assistance Type. Select the Rurality Requirement box to show programs and resources eligible for rural communities only.
Rural health programs are the emphasis, but this library is inclusive of all health programs.
The purpose of this plan is to provide strategic direction for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services (VS) to detect and respond to emerging animal diseases and define the processes by which VS will identify, evaluate, and respond to emerging diseases in animal populations
This program assists rural small businesses and agricultural producers by conducting and promoting energy audits and providing Renewable Energy Development Assistance (REDA).
The Rural Energy Pilot Program (REPP) grant offers financial assistance for rural communities to further develop renewable energy.
This program’s goal is to increase the production of advanced biofuels.
This program helps qualified, private nonprofits provide technical assistance and training to identify and evaluate solutions to water and waste problems; helps applicants prepare applications for water and waste disposal loans/grants; and helps associations improve the operation and maintenance of water and waste facilities in eligible rural areas.
This program helps private lenders provide affordable financing to qualified borrowers to improve access to clean, reliable water and waste disposal systems for households and businesses in rural areas.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides advice on what to eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and prevent disease. It is developed and written for a professional audience, including policymakers, healthcare providers, nutrition educators, and Federal nutrition program operators.
The Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health (CEAH) is one of the science centers within Veterinary Services (VS) Science, Technology, and Analysis Services (STAS). CEAH’s mission is to promote and safeguard U.S. agriculture by providing timely and accurate information and analysis about animal health and veterinary public health.
CEAH explores and analyzes animal health and related agricultural issues to facilitate informed decision-making in government and industry. CEAH also partners with the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) and its member countries to improve international disease surveillance capabilities and analytic methods supporting trade decisions.
Staffed with a multidisciplinary team, CEAH provides scientifically sound and statistically valid information and tools to help policymakers reach critical decisions regarding animal health issues. The CEAH staff includes veterinary epidemiologists, spatial analysts, statisticians, agricultural economists, GIS and computer specialists, and technical writers.
Several VS applications have Training Networks available to assist users. VS IT Network Associates are experienced application users available to answer questions and provide user assistance and training.
APHIS regulates veterinary biologics (vaccines, bacterins, antisera, diagnostic kits, and other products of biological origin) to ensure that the veterinary biologics available for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of animal diseases are pure, safe, potent, and effective. This work is done by APHIS Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) and is centered around enforcement of the Virus Serum Toxin Act.