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{{ copy.home.atlasShotCaption }}ATLAS WORKSPACE
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Needs assessment

Rurality and health needs across each parish

Health needs and access to care vary across Louisiana. RHTLA brings together statewide data to help identify where needs are greatest, where barriers to care exist, and how communities compare.

Use the parish picker in the summary sentence, or click a parish on the map, to open a specific parish profile.

 Is my location rural?

Is my location rural?

Find out whether a Louisiana location counts as rural for Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding. Enter a ZIP code, address, or organization name. You'll get an answer, the record we matched it to, and what to do next.

Check this location

ZIP code gives the most reliable match. Searching by name shows up to six possible matches. Check the address before you use one.

Check many locations at once

Upload a spreadsheet and get a result for every row. Useful if you're preparing an application covering several sites.

Download the template (CSV)

Your file needs one column named name, address, or zip. Up to 100 rows. Results appear below.
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See the three ways to qualify → Report a data issue

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The location falls in one of three categories.
Rural

Meets the geographic rural definition

This location meets the geographic rural criteria used for Pathway 1 of RHTP rural eligibility. Final eligibility remains subject to the requirements and review process of the applicable funding opportunity.

 Not rural by geography

Does not meet the geographic rural definition

This location does not currently meet the geographic criteria for Pathway 1. That does not necessarily mean the organization is ineligible. Other pathways may apply based on facility designation or the rural communities served by the organization.

See how Pathway 2 and Pathway 3 work → Not found

Not enough information available

The available data are not sufficient to determine the geographic rural status of this location. This does not mean the location is not rural and does not prevent an organization from applying for eligible funding opportunities.

Try searching by ZIP code instead.

Three ways to qualify: you only need one

RHTP uses three separate tests. Passing any one of them meets the rural requirement.

Pathway 1 · Where the location is

A location qualifies if it sits in an area the federal government designates rural: RUCA codes 4 through 10, or a ZIP classified Rural or Partially Rural. This page checks Pathway 1 automatically.

 Pathway 2 · What kind of facility you are

Pathway 2 guidance is being confirmed with ORHTS and is not published here yet. This page does not check Pathway 2. Check the funding notice you're applying under for current requirements.

 Pathway 3 · Where your patients live

If more than half of your active patients live in rural ZIP codes (RUCA 4–10), you qualify even if Pathways 1 and 2 don't. You'll need your patient ZIP code counts to show this. Provide your patient data in the application. This page does not check Pathway 3.
Read the full LDH rural eligibility methodology (PDF) →

Terms used on this page

RUCA
Rural-Urban Commuting Area. A federal code from 1 to 10, based on where people in an area commute for work. Codes 4 through 10 count as rural.
FORHP
The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, which maintains the federal list of rural areas.
Partially Rural
A ZIP code containing both rural and non-rural areas. It passes Pathway 1.
Transitional At-Risk
A flag on locations close to the rural cut-off. It warns that the classification could change as population or commuting patterns shift. It doesn't change your result today.
Source date
When the record you matched was last updated.
Home›Needs assessment›{{ parishName }} Parish

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As of: {{ asOf }} · every figure carries its source and source date

The index is the average percentile rank, across all 64 parishes, of four indicators shown below (poverty rate, uninsured rate, digital-literacy gap, low food access), weighted equally. Rank #1 is the greatest relative need. It is provisional and not an official ranking. ZIP codes assessed counts this parish's records in the ORHTS rurality file, out of {{ zipsAssessedStatewide }} statewide.

Need indicators

Indicators were selected when they were statewide, reproducible, relevant to rural health decisions, and maintained by a named public steward. They are grouped into vetted domains below. Bars show this parish (navy) vs. state (hairline).

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Services on file

One record per location, counted from the same facility registry the Atlas map uses. This is a count of what's on file, not a measure of how complete that registry is against the real number of facilities. A zero means "none on file," not "none exists."

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{{ parishName }} Parish · {{ parishFacilities }} facilities on fileOpen in the Atlas →

Ask RHIA about this parish

Plain-language questions, answered from the Atlas data with sources shown. Any answer can be exported to PDF for planning notes or an application.

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Next steps

Which programs address these needs? → Is my location rural? → Find funding →
Report a data issue with this profile
Focus areas

Understanding rural patient needs, by domain

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The challenge

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The RHTP response

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Program transparency

Follow Louisiana's rural health transformation

Louisiana's Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) is working to strengthen rural healthcare and improve health outcomes over the next five years. Our priorities include making rural healthcare sustainable, high quality, data-driven, and patient-centered.

RHTLA provides a public view of program activities, goals, and progress, so communities can see what is being addressed, where activity is occurring, and how progress is being measured. Figures are sourced and dated throughout this page.

Find funding opportunities Before you apply: is my location rural? →

Committed outcomes

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The four headline targets from the state's application to CMS. Each card compares the baseline with the Year-5 commitment. No outcome has been re-measured yet; the first update follows Year 1 reporting to CMS.

Projects identified for funding

Identified projects are grouped by organization type and priority region.

Funding status matters: a project identified for potential funding is not a final award. Project status will be updated as funding decisions and implementation progress are confirmed.

Organization typeRegionProjects identified
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Grouped public view · 128 projects identifiedOpen project records in the Atlas →
See open funding opportunities Direct, competitive, and partnership routes, and what to check before you apply.
Find funding

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{{ funding.noticesAction }} ↗ About the program at ldh.la.gov ↗ Rural eligibility methodology (PDF) ↗ Projects identified on the Programs page are not awards. Final recipients and funding amounts are reported after awards are made, and RHTLA does not accept or review applications.
Data & methods

Every figure has a source, a source date, and a method

RHTLA is built to be checked. This page lists what the platform holds, how complete it is, and how the rural needs index is computed, so a determination can be reproduced by anyone.

Selected source inventory

Highlights primary sources used across the public Atlas. Not the complete field-level data dictionary; expanded documentation planned with the full methodology package.

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Rural needs index

A 0–100 composite computed per parish. Each indicator is converted to a percentile rank across all 64 parishes; the index is the average of the four ranks.

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Provisional. Indicators and weights are pending ORHTS sign-off and external review; more indicators may be added as they are vetted.

Three answers, never a blank

Every rurality lookup returns Rural, Not rural by geography, or Not found. A "not found" result is a statement about the registry or the ZIP file, never about the place.

Reporting a problem with a figure

If a count, indicator, facility record, or rurality result looks wrong, report it from the page where you saw it. The form captures the parish, ZIP, facility, or indicator in question so the RHTLA team can trace the record to its source. Each report receives a reference number.

If a count, indicator, facility record, or rurality result looks wrong, tell us through the LDH contact form. Please include the parish, ZIP, facility, or indicator in question and the page where you saw it so the RHTLA team can trace the record to its source.

 Report a data issue →

Facilities on file by type

Counts show records currently carried in the Atlas. They describe the registry, not a verified census of every operating facility.

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Counted live from the Atlas facility layers. Bars are relative to the largest type.
About RHTLA

Closing the gap between data and decisions for Rural Health

RHTLA brings together information otherwise scattered across agencies, datasets, and systems: community health needs, healthcare services and facilities, rural eligibility, and Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) activities. When residents, providers, and policymakers see the same sourced evidence, resources can reach the communities that need them most.

Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence
Delivery partner

UL Lafayette Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence

caai.louisiana.edu →

Who this is for

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Built with academic rigor

RHTLA is designed and developed by the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence (CAAI) at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, in collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Health, the Louisiana Center for Health Innovation (LCHI), and NSF AHeAD. RHIA, the assistant in the Atlas, is grounded in named Atlas sources and always shows its evidence, and the tool is tested regularly with rural providers, patients, and researchers to keep it accurate and clear.

Want the details on data sources, index methodology, or how we evaluate the assistant? See Data & methods →

This project is supported by CMS/HHS as part of a financial assistance award totaling $208,374,447.57, with 100 percent of funding provided by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS or the U.S. Government.