Coplan and Vierkandt catch up outside the Kids Plus office. Vierkandt calls Coplan her second mother. They have remained in touch over the years. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption
rural America rural America
Stories About
rural America
Wednesday
Monday
Located between Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has become a big tourist draw since its designation in 1996. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption
Tuesday
Leitha Dollarhyde, a retired caregiver who lives in a rural town near Whitesburg, Ky., says she could not afford an unexpected $1,000 expense. Sydney Boles for NPR hide caption
Poll: Many Rural Americans Struggle With Financial Insecurity, Access To Health Care
Thursday
A new study finds that up to 20 percent of the LGBT population in this country live in rural America. For the most part, they chose that life for the same reasons others do: tight-knit communities with a shared sense of values. Roy Hsu/Getty Images/Uppercut RF hide caption
Thursday
Among at least some rural Americans, pragmatism may now be superseding traditional disdain for government and the prizing of rugged individualism. Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption
Rural Americans Are OK With 'Outside' Help To Beat Opioid Crisis And Boost Economy
Tuesday
Houses lie at the base of Colorado National Monument. The school district in Grand Junction knows it could take years to see whether their efforts towards suicide prevention have worked. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption
How One Colorado Town Is Tackling Suicide Prevention — Starting With The Kids
Tuesday
Drug addiction is a big concern to rural Americans, according to a new poll from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Alice Goldfarb/NPR hide caption
NPR Poll: Rural Americans Are Worried About Addiction And Jobs, But Remain Optimistic
Wednesday
Getting health care to rural areas may involve tough decisions about the role of hospitals. hmproudlove/Getty Images hide caption
Saturday
Christy Torres of Foundations Communities in Austin contacts people who bought insurance on Healthcare.Gov. to tell them it's almost time to renew. Martin Do Nascimento/KUT hide caption
With Federal Funds Cut, Others Must Lead Health Insurance Sign-Up Efforts
Friday
A mountain of mine tailings frame a Bisbee park — a legacy of the copper mines that once fueled the local economy. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption
Doctor Shortage In Rural Arizona Sparks Another Crisis In 'Forgotten America'
Tuesday
"We should be around the world. But we should also be focused on our own backyards," Microsoft President Brad Smith says. Elaine Thompson/AP hide caption
Microsoft Courts Rural America, And Politicians, With High-Speed Internet
Wednesday
Greta Elliott, who manages a health clinic in Canby, Calif., says she didn't buy health insurance for herself because she thinks it's too expensive. April Dembosky/KQED hide caption
In A Conservative Corner Of California, A Push To Preserve Obamacare
Monday
Volunteers distribute free food at the mobile pantry in Hurley, Va. Poverty in the coal-mining region is 29 percent, twice the national average. Unemployment is also high, and younger families are moving out. Pam Fessler/NPR hide caption
In Some Rural Counties, Hunger Is Rising, But Food Donations Aren't
Saturday
Dr. Adam McMahan has been practicing medicine in rural Alaska for three years. It's the kind of intimate, full-spectrum family medicine the 34-year-old doctor loves. Elissa Nadworny/NPR hide caption
In Rural Alaska, A Young Doctor Walks To His Patient's Bedside
Monday
Shelia Mendoza says she's not looking for a livelihood out of Liberty Mobility, but a little extra cash and some new friends to talk to. M.L. Schultze/WKSU hide caption