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.
This page will be updated with project milestones, engagement opportunities, and what we're learning along the way.
Status: a quick look where we’re at in our process with this impact theme
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.
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, evaluate potential technologies, and co-design pilots that deliver sustainable impact.
We're excited to share that 17 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.
Interested in a future cohort? More community cohort opportunities are on the way. Subscribe to our newsletter to hear about them first.
Insights
AscendRural Challenges Innovators to Close the Rural Care Gap
By AgeTech Collaborative from AARP
A new path to government procurement built with rural communities at the center
By AscendRural