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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Arkansas

Sourcebook: Delta States Rural Development Network Program, 2020-2023
Provides an overview of the twelve Delta States Rural Development Network grantees funded during the 2020-2023 grant period, describing overall program impacts and reach. Also provides detailed profiles of each grantee, including partners involved, services provided, outcomes, and more. The Delta States region comprises Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Improving the Social Determinants of Health in Rural America Through Medicaid Section 1115 Waivers
Policy brief discussing how Medicaid Section 1115 waivers can allow states to modify the social determinants of health in rural areas through pilot programs, delivery system reform, or enhanced benefit packages. Highlights existing Section 1115 waiver programs and recently approved and renewed waivers, as well as challenges related to improving health-related social needs and access to services in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to improve health equity in rural areas through Medicaid programs.
Author(s): Alexandra Zimmerman
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Profile of the Primary Care Physician Workforce in Arkansas
Reports on primary care physician (PCP) supply in Arkansas, utilizing state physician licensure and insurance claims data. See pages 15-18 for maps showing active PCPs, full-time PCPs, and full-time PCP equivalents by county.
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Arkansas State Plan on Aging: Fiscal Years 2024-2027
Provides direction for long-term care efforts in the state of Arkansas. Focuses on implementation of the Older American Act (OAA), COVID-19 recovery, equity, access to home and community-based services, and caregiving infrastructure. Highlights population data on rural Arkansas citizens and rural-specific priorities.
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Department of Human Services
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Arkansas Rural Hospital Assessment: Final Report
An assessment of 18 rural Arkansas hospitals with regard to their financial stability, workforce challenges, facilities, distance from other facilities, sustainability, and more. Compares Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and non-CAHs in the state. Discusses decision-making around the Rural Emergency Hospital designation.
Author(s): Alvarez & Marsal Public Sector Services LLC
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration
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Cervical Cancer in Arkansas Update
Offers surveillance data for cervical cancer in Arkansas. Discusses risk factors, screening recommendations, mortality, vaccination, and Arkansas-specific trends over time. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): Daniela Ramirez Aguilar
Date: 04/2023
Type: Presentation Slides
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Department of Health
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Barriers and Facilitators to HIV Care Engagement: Recommendations from People with HIV in Rural Arkansas
Interviewed 11 people with HIV in rural Arkansas to identify barriers and facilitators for HIV care. Discusses distance to care, transportation, stigma, telehealth, resilience, support networks, and more.
Author(s): Sara Alexandra Marshall, Jun Tao, Heather K. Horton, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(2), 459-468
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
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Linkages Between Rural Community Capitals and Healthcare Provision: A Survey of Small Rural Towns in Three U.S. Regions
Identifies community-level factors affecting the recruitment and retention of rural healthcare professionals through key informant interviews and a survey of healthcare professionals in 9 states across three regions: the Lower Mississippi Delta, the Southern Great Plains, and the Upper Midwest. Explores how the importance of these factors varies across regions and types of healthcare professionals and whether the importance of these factors differs between recruitment and retention.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): John Pender, Maria Kuhns, Cindy Yu, Janice Larson, Shirley Huck
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Arkansas Health Workforce Projections: 2021-2035
Report outlining the current non-physician healthcare workforce shortages in Arkansas, projections through 2035, and recommendations to address supply and demand issues. Recommendations include discussion of the workforce pipeline, retention, exploring models of care, distribution of workforce, data collection, and policy. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Hospital Association
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Assessing the Effectiveness of Policies to Improve Access to Primary Care for Underserved Populations: A Case Study Analysis of Columbia County, Arkansas
Case study of policy initiatives to increase access to primary care, focusing on Columbia County, Arkansas. Discusses workforce shortages, a lack of training opportunities, issues of healthcare access and poverty, mitigating policies, and more.
Author(s): Maanasa Kona, Megan Houston, Jalisa Cark, Emma Walsh-Alker
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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