Impact themeActive

Distance to Care & Services

Access isn’t just about distance—it’s about how care and services are designed, delivered, and experienced.

Rural residents travel over twice as far for healthcare compared to urban populations. But distance isn’t just a transportation issue. It’s a broader challenge of how people access the care, services, and support they need—when and where they need them.

Focus
Access to care, services + essential goods
Status
RFP evaluation + Community Cohort underway
Aerial view of a rural community

The problem

Distance shapes access in more ways than one.

Rural residents often travel farther for healthcare, but transportation is only part of the challenge. Distance can affect whether people can reach healthcare providers, manage ongoing conditions, receive essential goods and access services close to home.

Five problem areas identified by rural communities

  1. 01Transportation access & coordinationMaking the rides that already exist in rural communities easier to find, book, coordinate and sustain.
  2. 02Local access to preventive, primary, specialty & oral careBringing care within reach through local access points and virtual care that works under rural constraints.
  3. 03Managing chronic conditions & preventing avoidable declineSupporting people between appointments so risks are caught before they become emergencies.
  4. 04Last-mile medication, supplies & foodReliably delivering essentials to the homes and addresses standard delivery leaves out.
  5. 05Strengthening the business of rural accessHelping the agencies that deliver rural services capture revenue, diversify funding and reduce costs.

For technology companies

RFP Solicitation for Technologies

Now closed

The RFP for the AscendRural Innovation Challenge: Bridging Distance to Rural Care & Services closed on October 6, 2026. Thank you to every company that took the time to respond and share how your solution can help close the distance to care in rural communities.

AscendRural, a program of Sourcewell (a State of Minnesota local government unit and service cooperative), issued this solicitation to result in a procurement solution for use by Sourcewell Participating Entities. It sought innovative technology-enabled solutions that reduce the impact of distance on rural communities’ access to healthcare, services, and essential goods, across five problem areas: transportation access and coordination; local access to primary, specialty, and oral care; managing chronic conditions; last-mile delivery of essentials; and strengthening the business of rural access.

Proposals are now under evaluation. We’ll share updates as the process moves forward.

Sourcewell is a local unit of government under Minnesota state statute, and competitively solicits and awards contracts. Purchasing agencies are responsible for performing due diligence and ensuring compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, as well as specific funding requirements, in consultation with legal counsel.

For community collaborators

Distance to Care Community Cohort

Now underway

Rural communities know their challenges better than anyone. Our Community Cohorts create a collaborative space where rural nonprofits and government agencies work alongside AscendRural to identify needs and explore solutions and potential pilots that deliver sustainable impact.

20+Rural organizations

We’re excited to share that more than 20 rural organizations have been invited to join the Distance to Care Community Cohort, focused on finding solutions to barriers created by distance to care and services. Thank you to everyone who applied.

PDF download

Distance to Care Community Cohort overview

Download the cohort PDF

Status

A quick look at where we’re at in our process with this impact theme.

This page will be updated with project milestones, engagement opportunities, and what we’re learning along the way.

The Rural Innovation Model

  1. 1
    Complete

    Identify & Define

    Convene communities to identify shared priorities and the outcomes that matter.

  2. 2
    Now · Evaluation

    Source

    Vet technologies with the potential to meet rural needs.

  3. 3

    Prepare

    Equip communities and innovators to move forward with confidence.

  4. 4

    Match & Align

    Bring the right organizations, solutions, and partners together.

  5. 5

    Demonstrate

    Test in real settings and build evidence for decisions.

  6. 6

    Sustain & Scale

    Support adoption and help effective solutions reach more communities.

Explore the Rural Innovation Model →

Insights

Explore the thinking behind the work.