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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Kentucky

Health Care Access in the Heartland: How to Improve Services in Rural America
Outlines strategies policymakers and community leaders in rural America can use to improve healthcare access and services. Combines data analysis of county demographics and health data with focus groups in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Provides expert interviews to better understand healthcare access in rural communities.
Author(s): Darren Chapman, Angie Cooper, Elizabeth Dombowsky, et al.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Heartland Forward
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Changes in Transmucosal Buprenorphine Utilization for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kentucky
Explores changes in prescription rates of transmuscosal buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky. Compares prescribing rates in rural versus urban areas and examines rates on a week by week basis.
Author(s): Feitong Lei, Michelle R. Lofwall, Patricia R. Freeman, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(1), 186-196
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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COVID-19 Stakeholder Experiences in the Commonwealth of Kentucky - 2022
Results of surveys taken from October-December 2021 by 145 Kentucky school leaders, community health workers and their clients, rural community members, and healthcare providers. Includes statistics on satisfaction with telehealth, testing locations and vaccines, barriers faced during stay-at-home orders, and impact of COVID on medical care.
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health
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Adaptation and Study Protocol of the Evidence-based Make Better Choices (Mbc2) Multiple Diet and Activity Change Intervention for a Rural Appalachian Population
Details the development of the Make Better Choices 2 (MBC2) mHealth diet and activity randomized trial and how it is being adapted for rural Appalachia. Outlines the adaptation process conducted in Appalachian Kentucky and subsequent revisions to the recruitment, retention, assessment, and intervention components of the study. Discusses the need for culturally appropriate research to reach underserved populations and achieve health equity.
Author(s): Nancy E. Schoenberg, Deanna Sherman, Angela Fidler Pfammatter, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 22, 2043
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
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Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on a Rural Opioid Support Services Program
Study examining the impacts of the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic on a rural, nonprofit opioid use disorder (OUD) system support service program located in eastern Kentucky. Describes findings from interviews conducted in early fall 2020 discussing changes to daily life, service access and provision, and financial impacts.
Author(s): Jayme E. Walters, Aubrey E. Jones, Aaron R. Brown, Dorothy Wallis
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8), 11164
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
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Consumer Finances in Rural Appalachia
Describes the financial needs and challenges of consumers in rural Appalachia. Features sections on consumer finance profiles, including a section on medical debt, and consumer distress and delinquencies. Appendix A includes state-level statistics for the 13 Appalachian states, including percent of rural people with medical debt in the state.
Author(s): Matthew Liu, Cooper Luce, Michael Orevba, Shawn Sebastian, Cortnie Shupe
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
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Broadband Internet Subscription Rates and Opioid Prescribing via Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Explores the effect of the DEA's temporary permission for providers to prescribe opioids via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky. Discusses the effect this permission had on rural areas and in counties with low and high rates of broadband access.
Author(s): Douglas R. Oyler, Svetla Slavova, Patricia R. Freeman, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 38(4), 900-907
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
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Preparing for and Rebuilding from a Natural Disaster in Graves County, KY
Case study discussing how Jackson Purchase Medical Center (JPMC) and the West Kentucky Healthcare Coalition (WKYHCC) implemented an emergency response plan in the aftermath of a December 2021 tornado. Discusses the regional emergency preparedness plan and its effectiveness, as well as JPMC's expansion of employee assistance and behavioral health services to meet community needs.
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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The Rural Opioid Initiative Consortium Description: Providing Evidence to Understand the Fourth Wave of the Opioid Crisis
Highlights an initiative aimed at developing interventions to address rural opioid use. Collects data from rural areas in 10 states via surveys of people who use drugs and explores overlapping issues, such as other drug use, homelessness, and lack of access to treatment, among others.
Author(s): Richard A. Jenkins, Bridget M. Whitney, Robin M. Nance, et al.
Citation: Addiction Science and Clinical Practice, 17, 38
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
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Speech Language Pathology and Audiology Workforce in Kentucky
Examines the distribution of speech language pathologists (SLPs) and audiologists (AUDs) across Kentucky. Explores unique challenges faced by rural communities in accessing hearing and speech specialists. Features statistics on numbers of SLPs and AUDs in Kentucky, with breakdowns by Appalachian, rural, urban, and Delta areas.
Author(s): Sydney P. Howard, Melissa Slone, Austin Huff, Frances Feltner
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health
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