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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Colorado

Traumatic Injury and Access to Care in Rural Areas: Leveraging Linked Data and Geographic Information Systems for Planning and Advocacy
Analyzes county-level data representing traumatic injury rates in rural Colorado. Discusses challenges to trauma care in rural areas, including distance to trauma centers, rates of injury, prevention resources, EMS response times, and limited EMS capacity. Includes county-level maps showing transportation time to trauma centers, mortality rates, and hospitalization rates for traumatic injury.
Author(s): Paula Yuma, Rebecca Orsi, Julie Dunn, et al.
Citation: Rural Remote Health, 19(3), 5089
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
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Use of Apprenticeship to Meet Demand for Medical Assistants in the U.S.
Reports findings from a study of registered medical assistant (MA) apprenticeship programs in 12 states. Discusses the workforce needs these programs may help address, including workforce needs in rural communities. Describes the programs and discusses challenges with starting and maintaining MA apprenticeship programs.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Andrew D. Jopson, Susan M. Skillman, Bianca K. Frogner
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Home Equity: A Vision of Housing Security, Health and Opportunity
Provides data demonstrating the interrelationship between housing insecurity and health equity. Examines how policies and racism have impacted housing stability in Colorado's rural, urban, and suburban communities. Looks at the challenges to housing security faced by communities of color, undocumented immigrants, people with disabilities, families with children, low income households, rural communities, and homelessness populations. Suggests housing policies that may impact communities and improve housing security.
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Health Institute
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2019 Medicaid and Commercial Access to Care Index: How Payer Type Influences Coloradans' Access to Needed Health Care
Provides information on healthcare access through both Medicaid and private insurers, as well as several other factors to determine whether the health needs of Colorado residents are being met. Measures improvement in healthcare access based on three components of access: potential access, barriers to care, and realized access. Features data breakdown by county.
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Health Institute
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Mental Health Crisis in Colorado
Explores mental healthcare access in Colorado. News series from The Gazette details Colorado's mental healthcare system for youth, veterans, jails, and in rural areas, among other areas of disparity.
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The Gazette
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Running Clear: Preventing Private Water Sources from Becoming a Health Hazard in Rural America
Provides an overview of the potential contaminants in well water and describes how the safety of private water sources is maintained. Features water experts and a public health professional explaining what can be done to keep well water clean, including water testing, education and training, funding, and technical assistance.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Member Spotlight Interview: Health Director Emily Brown Discusses the Importance of Rural Health Representation
Interview with the health director for Rio Grande County Public Health, serving 6 rural counties in Colorado. Highlights the importance of rural health representation at all levels of government and explores how the Rio Grande County health department addresses inequities in health as related to poverty.
Citation: NACCHO Voice
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Beyond Nutrient Intake: Use of Digital Food Photography Methodology to Examine Family Dinnertime
Examines the feasibility of utilizing food photography (Remote Food Photography Method or RFPM) with rural, low-resource families to examine the context of family mealtime, including meal timing, location, concordance in child-parent meals, level of preparation, and meal quality. Reviews mealtimes of 31 parent-child pairs in rural Colorado. Discusses the methodology's potential utility for both assessment and intervention.
Author(s): Morgan McCloskey, Susan L. Johnson, Traci A. Bekelman, Corby K. Martin, Laura L. Bellows
Citation: Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 51(5), 547-555
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
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Briefing - Expanding the Role of Nurse Practitioners
Webinar recording and slides on expanding the role of nurse practitioners, focusing on models from Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico, and what California can learn from them. Includes information on nurse practitioners providing care in rural and frontier areas, as well as what they are doing to help combat the opioid epidemic.
Date: 05/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: California Health Care Foundation
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The Competition Conundrum
Reports on an analysis of hospital and health insurance carrier market competition in Colorado and offers county-level data. Assesses the relationship between market competition and health insurance premiums. Includes discussion on health insurance market challenges specific to rural areas. Offers suggestions to improve market competition and conditions.
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Health Institute
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