During National Salute to Veteran Patients Week, the Missouri Rural Health Association (MRHA) is releasing new research shining a stark light on the health inequities facing Missouri’s rural veterans and calls for urgent action to better serve those who have served our country. The paper, Beyond the Battlefield: Restoring Connection for Missouri’s Rural Veterans, draws from findings in MRHA’s upcoming 2026 Needs Assessment and reveals alarming disparities in health access, outcomes and supports for veterans living in rural Missouri. The research shows Missouri veterans experience suicide rates 74% higher than their civilian counterparts and 23% higher than veterans nationwide, underscoring the compounding effects of isolation, limited access to care and unmet service-related health needs. “Our research makes it clear that too many rural veterans in Missouri are falling through the cracks of our health care and support systems,” said MRHA Executive Director Heidi Lucas. “These…