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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: North Carolina

Healthy Places NC: 10 Years That Changed the Way We Work
Reports on 10 years of activities by Healthy Places NC, an initiative focused on health improvement in North Carolina's rural and underserved communities. Discusses planning and implementation, challenges, lessons, case studies, network development and collaboration, and more. Describes the importance of addressing racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities and achieving health equity.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Video: 10 Years of Healthy Places NC
Author(s): Kristen Burwell Naney, Douglas Easterling, Tanya Beer, Mina Silberberg
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
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Rural and Nonrural Racial Variation in Mentally Unhealthy Days: Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in North Carolina, 2015–2019
Compares rates at which rural and nonrural Black and White North Carolinians experience days with stress, depression, and problems with emotions, utilizing 2015-2019 North Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. Discusses social factors which may influence racial mental health disparities in rural areas.
Author(s): Caroline R. Efird, Derrick D. Matthews, Kathryn E. Muessig, et al.
Citation: SSM - Mental Health, 3, 100199
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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Leading State Approaches and Communication Strategies to Support Health Equity
Describes how state and territory leaders have created effective health equity practices and communication strategies. Outlines three themes that emerged through research and roundtable discussions as top health equity priorities for states. Profiles initiatives and policies from nine states and Guam to address health equity and reflect these themes.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Governors Association
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Cumulative Environmental Quality Is Associated with Breast Cancer Incidence Differentially by Summary Stage and Urbanicity
Identifies associations between environmental factors and breast cancer stages in North Carolina using the Environmental Quality Index (EQI). EQI factors include air, water, land, sociodemographic, and built environments. Includes analysis of urbanicity, race, screenings, and tobacco use.
Author(s): Larisa M. Gearhart-Serna, Brittany A. Mills, Hillary Hsu, et al.
Citation: Scientific Reports, 13, 20301
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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Rural Health and Well-Being
A two-part recorded webinar that first discusses social well-being in rural areas and suggested policy and programmatic interventions to improve well-being. Also provides information on the community-based participatory research Health Equity for Rural Mothers and Families Project (HER), which advocates for health equity for pregnant women and new mothers in rural North Carolina.
Additional links: Part 1 Slides, Part 2 Slides
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Sarah E. (Betsy) Bledsoe
Date: 11/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
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Recent Incarceration, Substance Use, Overdose, and Service Use Among People Who Use Drugs in Rural Communities
Compares 2,935 people who use drugs (PWUD) in rural areas of 10 states to evaluate the impact of time since last incarceration on access to treatment and overdose rates. Discusses policy measures that could increase access to and successful completion of treatment for substance use disorders.
Author(s): Daniel B. Hoover, Todd Korthuis, Elizabeth Needham Waddell, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(11), 2342222
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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FY 2023: HRSA's Rural Health Grants – North Carolina Fact Sheet
HRSA Federal Office of Rural Health Policy investments in North Carolina in Fiscal Year 2023. Lists grant and cooperative agreement recipients, award amounts, award recipient locations, and congressional district.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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A Place to Thrive: Creating Opportunities to Age Well in North Carolina
Reports on North Carolina's aging population, and provides recommendations and strategies for improved health and livability for an aging population. Key topics include social and economic factors affecting older adults, the culture of aging, services and programs that support aging in place, and workforce supporting older adults' needs. Mentions rural population throughout as a disproportionately affected group.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Institute of Medicine
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North Carolina State Health Improvement Plan 2023
Describes North Carolina's 2023 plan for population health improvement. Provides data on selected health indicators, makes comparisons to 2030 targets, and identifies trends over time for selected demographics. Identifies factors contributing to health disparities and negative health outcomes, and sets priorities. Includes consideration of rural and underserved populations throughout.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
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Self-Collection for Primary HPV Testing: Perspectives on Implementation From Federally Qualified Health Centers
Analyzes feedback from clinical staff, administrative staff, and leadership in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) regarding the implementation of primary testing for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) by self-collection. Utilizes focus group and interview data from 6 North Carolina FQHCs about themes such as increased screening rates, accuracy of self-collection results, workflow disruptions, financial implications, impacts on clinic quality measures, and more. Includes feedback from rural FQHCs.
Author(s): Amanda Le, Catherine Rohweder, Stephanie B. Wheeler, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 20
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
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