News

Definition of Rural – Please SHARE with anyone who wishes to submit comments

May 9, 2007 /

MATR Sponsor (view all)

The MDT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program encourages and supports the participation of companies owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in transportation contracts.

Those of you who have worked with the federal government on ‘rural’ grants, contracts and/or cooperative aggreements probably know that the government has more than one definition for ‘rural’ — in fact at last count the federal gov’t had 15 different definitions for ‘RURAL’ among all federal programs.

The federal Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP), HRSA, has long sought to identify a clear, consistent and data-driven method of defining rural areas and has funded the development of Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes. Now HRSA is seeking comments on ORHP’s use of RUCAs to better target Rural Health funding projects. The Request for Public Comment on Use of RUCAs appeared in the Federal Register on Thursday, May 3, 2007, pages 24589-24591.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-8492.pdf

The deadline for submission of written comments on the report and its recommendations is JULY 2, 2007.

David M. Young, Professor
Rural Health Resource Specialist
Extension Service
Montana State University
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 406-994-5552
Fax: 406-994-1756