Rural HPV Cancer Prevention

The current rural health landscape offers tremendous opportunity as much as there are myriad challenges to be addressed. There is a lot of uncertainty with funding for key health and human service initiatives and changes in rural health infrastructure. With shifts in the landscape, we rely on the resiliency of rural communities and structures over which we have the most control and that remain steadfastly positioned – health care providers, professionals, and partners serving rural communities. We are reminded of the resiliency of rural communities and also the collective power of rural.

Rural communities remind us what connection truly means—neighbors looking out for one another, providers innovating with limited resources, and partners finding ways to keep prevention moving forward. We want more rural families to choose HPV vaccination for a future free of HPV cancers.

Join us on National Rural Health Day on November 20 for our quarterly updates meeting at which revised priority actions to increase HPV vaccination coverage with rural communities will be released. Register here. Registration for the 2026 quarterly updates meetings is open as well.

Learn more about rural HPV cancer prevention efforts at stjude.org/HPVrural. Join the rural listserv here. Email us at PreventHPV@stjude.org with any questions.

HPV vaccination is cancer prevention.

In the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program, we know that strong rural communities are essential to advancing cancer prevention and ensuring every person—no matter where they live—has access to life-saving vaccinations and health care. This day gives us the opportunity to celebrate the power of rural, reflect on the importance of being rooted in community, and focus on the urgent need to address differences in health outcomes in rural health care—especially when it comes to preventing HPV cancers.

Power of Rural
Founded by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) in 2011, National Rural Health Day (NRHD) celebrates the "Power of Rural" every third Thursday of November. NRHD honors the dedication of rural providers, State Offices of Rural Heath, and partners who tackle the challenges faced by rural communities. NRHD is an annual celebration of the Power of Rural—the resilience, innovation, and connection that define rural communities—while drawing attention to the unique health care challenges faced by the more than 61 million or nearly 20% of people in the U.S. who call rural areas home.

NRHD Main Event: Connected and Protected

This year’s main event is "Connected and Protected: The Power of Rural Cybersecurity" and will be held on November 20 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. This event will highlight the growing importance of digital infrastructure in ensuring rural communities can access, deliver, and safeguard quality health care. This session is designed for rural health providers and partners dedicated to strengthening cybersecurity across rural communities. Hear from a panel of experts from the Home - CLTC UC Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity, Dakota State University, Google, and Madison Regional Health System as they discuss real-world stories of cybersecurity collaboration and innovation in rural communities. Discover strategies to build resilience against evolving cyber threats and protecting the people and systems that power rural health. Register here.

Do You Serve Patients from Rural Communities?

Join Rural Medical Education (RME) Collaborative live online on November 15 at 9 a.m. Eastern Time for Rural Health Clinical Congress Fall 2025. This interactive, multi-topic, complimentary continuing medical education conference is designed for clinicians who serve patients in rural communities. This event is designed specifically for primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and pharmacists who care for patients from rural areas.

Learn evidence-based recommendations on topics relevant to primary care
Gain practical insights to meet the needs of patients in rural areas
Participate in live polls and ask questions to experts in real time
Earn FREE live CME/CE credit for each session you attend

As we celebrate the Power of Rural, we honor the people and partnerships driving rural health forward—and recommit to prevention, protection, and progress for all communities. Read more in this month's Path to Prevention newsletter to learn more about the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program’s efforts to prevent HPV cancers with rural communities.

Over the past eight months, the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program with subject matter experts has refined our Rural HPV Vaccination Priority Actions to better reflect today’s realities and strengthen impact across rural communities. These updates were informed not only by current challenges but also by the progress we’ve made since launching our rural HPV vaccination initiative, detailed in our new Preventing HPV Cancers with Rural Communities Summary Report which will be available soon.
The updated framework now centers on five priorities:

Implement Best Practices: Use best practices and evidence-based interventions to increase HPV vaccination
Build Capacity: Strengthen health care providers’ and professionals’ training and support systems change
Preserve and Expand Data Resources: Leverage existing data and bolster data assets to guide informed actions
Foster Partnerships for Progress: Build alliances and cultivate collaborations for collective impact
Monitor Context: Scan the rural health landscape for new challenges and opportunities

These revised priorities offer insight into the most impactful actions to increase HPV vaccination coverage and decrease the burden of HPV cancers among people living in rural areas of the U.S. They recognize that individuals act based on their environment, resources, history, and motivation—as well as what they know, think, and feel. Systems-level changes aim to make HPV vaccination the default action, while addressing challenges related to access and emphasizing the vital role of providers, whose strong recommendations remain the single greatest predictor of vaccination.

Tracking Progress: HPV Vaccination Rates in Rural Communities

The 2024 National Immunization Survey–Teen (NIS-Teen) reveals persistent geographic differences in HPV vaccination coverage among adolescents aged 13–17 years, with youth in rural areas continuing to lag behind their urban peers. Nationally, 78% of adolescents received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine, and 63% were up to date with the full series. However, in rural areas, coverage was notably lower: only 71% had received at least one dose and just 55% were up-to-date.

This gap between rural-urban HPV vaccination coverage has remained largely unchanged since 2016, underscoring the need for sustained and targeted efforts to improve access and uptake in rural regions. Even when rural families received a provider recommendation for HPV vaccination—a factor strongly associated with higher coverage—rates still fell short compared to urban areas. Among adolescents whose parents reported receiving a provider recommendation, 77% in rural areas had received at least one dose, compared to 86% in urban areas. Similarly, 61% of rural adolescents were up-to-date versus 72% in urban settings.

The influence of health care provider recommendations is clear: adolescents who received one were significantly more likely to be vaccinated than those who did not. Yet, only 66% of rural parents reported receiving such a recommendation, compared to 69% in urban areas and 71% in suburban areas. This suggests that rural families may have fewer opportunities for preventive care visits or face other systemic barriers that limit provider engagement.

Even in cases where a recommendation was given, rural adolescents were still less likely to be vaccinated. This points to additional challenges—such as transportation limitations, fewer local providers, and differing perceptions about vaccine safety or necessity—that may affect vaccine acceptance and access in rural communities.

These findings highlight the importance of strengthening provider communication, expanding outreach, and tailoring strategies to meet the unique needs of rural populations. Efforts to improve HPV vaccination rates must also go beyond clinical settings and engage schools, community organizations, and trusted local voices. Increasing provider training, supporting rural health departments, and investing in mobile or school-based vaccination programs are all critical steps toward ensuring that adolescents in every ZIP code have equal access to cancer-preventing HPV vaccination.

Using Data as Our Guide

Learn more about key rural data points from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH). Though the statistics and facts presented in this resource do not tell the whole story, they are essential to understand when developing policies and programs that affect the health of rural communities.
And for a closer look at how data informs our work and why understanding these patterns matters for rural health, explore our recent Wide Open Spaces article: "Using Data as Our Guide." This piece dives into how we have used evidence to shape strategies that meet rural communities where they are—because behind every data point is a real person, and every trend tells a story about where we need to go next.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities for Rural HPV Cancer Prevention

Rural communities are unique, and their geography, resources, and health care systems can shape how families access and receive medical care and information. These challenges also create opportunities to strengthen local solutions.

These challenges are real—but so are the opportunities. By working collaboratively, we can turn barriers into solutions that bring HPV vaccination closer to home for every rural family. Whether it is sharing trusted messages, empowering providers, or creating innovative access points, progress happens when we act together.

Let’s keep the momentum going. If you have ideas, resources, or stories to share, we’d love to hear from you at PreventHPV@stjude.org. Together, we can make HPV cancer prevention a reality for all communities—no matter how rural the road.

Funding Spotlight: CMS Rural Transformation Grants

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched Rural Transformation Grants to strengthen health systems and improve care delivery in rural communities. These grants offer an important opportunity to integrate cancer prevention strategies—including HPV vaccination—into broader rural health initiatives.

If your organization is applying for or gets awarded one of these grants and your work includes HPV vaccination or HPV cancer prevention, we want to hear from you. Why?

To connect and collaborate: Knowing who is funded helps us build a network of partners working toward shared goals.
To offer support: We can provide tools, training, and technical assistance to strengthen HPV vaccination components within your project.
To amplify impact: Together, we can explore ways to align efforts and share resources for greater reach and sustainability.

We can support you with:

Evidence-based interventions and implementation guidance
Provider training resources and continuing education opportunities
Communication materials tailored for rural audiences
Data insights and strategies for monitoring HPV vaccination progress
Opportunities to share successes and lessons learned through our national network

Please send us an email at PreventHPV@stjude.org. We look forward to hearing from you, learning about your work, and exploring ways to collaborate and support your efforts. Together, we can make a greater impact for rural communities.

Protecting Rural Strength: Advancing HPV Cancer Prevention Where It’s Needed Most

This National Rural Health Day, we are spotlighting the resilience of rural communities—and the urgent need to strengthen cancer prevention where it’s needed most. Our latest LinkedIn article, "Protecting Rural Strength: Advancing HPV Cancer Prevention Where It’s Needed Most," shares why rural health is personal, what the data tells us, and how the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program is partnering to bring prevention closer to home. Read the full article on LinkedIn to learn more about our commitment to working with partners nationwide to implement evidence-based interventions, train providers, and empower rural communities to ensure every adolescent has access to HPV cancer prevention—no matter where they live.

Access St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program Rural HPV Vaccination Resources

We also want to encourage you to use and share the following rural HPV vaccination resources from the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program:

Website: stjude.org/HPVrural
"Their Future is in Your Hands" campaign materials for rural communities

Preventing HPV Cancers in Rural Communities fact sheet
Wide Open Spaces articles are available at stjude.org/HPVrural – read the November 2025 article here

International HPV Awareness Day 2025: Harvesting Best Practices to Prevent Rural HPV Cancers

Empowering and Strengthening Community, Culture, and Connection to Prevent HPV Cancers October 2025 seminar: Close-Knit, Far-Reaching: Harnessing the Strengths of Rural Communities to Prevent HPV Cancers Through HPV Vaccination recording and presentation slides
Preventing HPV Cancers with Rural Communities: Quarterly Updates and Opportunities

August 2025 quarterly updates recording and newsletter
May 2025 quarterly updates recording and newsletter

February 2025 quarterly updates recording and newsletter

November 2024 quarterly updates recording (unedited) and newsletter

Health Care Provider and Professional Training Programs
In addition to these resources available online, the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program also offers health care provider and professional training programs on the Announcement Approach and Unity Consortium 3Cs Program. Email us at PreventHPV@stjude.org to request more information and schedule a training program in-person or virtually.

Join us for the 2026 Rural HPV Vaccination Quarterly Updates Meetings
Join us for our 2026 rural HPV vaccination quarterly updates meetings. These meetings will feature progress on priority actions and showcase successful efforts to promote HPV cancer prevention with rural communities. Additional information will be provided prior to the meeting. Meetings will be held from 12-1 p.m. Central Time. Register for one or more here.

About the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. That’s why St. Jude is raising awareness on HPV vaccination, which can prevent six types of cancer caused by the virus. As the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center dedicated solely to children, St. Jude has an important role and responsibility in increasing the number of children who benefit from HPV vaccination and reduce their risk of preventable cancers later in life.

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program envisions a world free of HPV cancers. Through education, promoting best practice models, and strategic partner engagement, its mission is to increase on-time HPV vaccination. On-time HPV vaccination by the 13th birthday provides safe, effective, and long-lasting protection against the most common types of HPV linked to cancers. The program is committed to ensuring equitable access to HPV cancer prevention, which includes a specific focus on geographic disparities in the southeastern United States and in rural communities.

Learn more about the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program at stjude.org/hpv. Email PreventHPV@stjude.org with any questions.