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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Virginia

Faces of Black Lung II
Informational video describing the recent increase in cases of black lung disease, especially among younger miners in central Appalachia. Includes testimonials from former miners who suffer from black lung, and commentary by experts. Intended to increase awareness and to promote participation in the Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program, which provides screenings to diagnose black lung as quickly as possible. Features transcript.
Author(s): Anita L. Wolfe
Date: 01/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
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Access to Autism Spectrum Disorder Services for Rural Appalachian Citizens
Summarizes the challenges of accessibility and affordability faced by residents of rural southwest Virginia as they seek services for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Highlights the effects of extreme poverty and the need for cultural sensitivity among service providers. Offers suggestions for policymakers and features demographic statistics on caregivers and providers.
Author(s): Angela Scarpa, Laura S. Jensen, Denis Gracanin, Sharon L. Ramey, Angela V. Dahiya
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 2(1), 25-40
Date: 2020
Type: Document
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Rural Hospitals: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Describes the conditions facing rural hospitals and their communities contributing to the high rate of rural hospital closure. Discusses state and federal legislation, policies, and programs developed to support rural hospitals. Provides data for 15 Southern states including their state and rural populations, percentage of population uninsured, Medicaid expansion status, percentage at high financial risk, and number of rural hospital closures.
Author(s): Nick Bowman
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments
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Drive Times to Opioid Treatment Programs in Urban and Rural Counties in 5 U.S. States
Examines the driving times to opioid treatment programs in urban and rural counties in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. Compares drive times to Federally Qualified Health Centers and dialysis centers as possible prescribing and treatment locations.
Author(s): Paul J. Joudrey, E. Jennifer Edelman, Emily A. Wang
Citation: JAMA, 322(13), 1310-1312
Date: 10/2019
Type: Document
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SORH Response to the National Substance Use Disorder Crisis
Looks at the role of State Offices of Rural Health (SORHs) in state-level substance use disorder and opioid use disorder initiatives. Highlights the activities of SORHs in several states as case studies and details the lessons learned in those states.
Date: 10/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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SIPsmartER Delivered Through Rural, Local Health Districts: Adoption and Implementation Outcomes
Highlights the success and challenges of local public health units implementing the SIPsmartER program, a 6-month evidence- and community-based behavioral intervention shown to effectively decrease adult consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, in rural Appalachian Virginia.
Author(s): Kathleen Porter, Donna Jean Brock, Paul Estabrooks, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1273
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
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How Will Medicaid Work Requirements Affect Hospitals' Finances?
Examines the potential financial impact of approved or pending Medicaid Section 1115 demonstration waivers that include work requirements on hospitals in 18 states. Includes a section on the potential impact on rural hospitals' operating margins. Updates a March 2019 report of the same title covering 13 states.
Author(s): Randy Haught, Allen Dobson, Joan DaVanzo
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Report of Recommendations: Appalachian Regional Commission's Substance Abuse Advisory Council
Report outlines the recommendations of the ARC's Substance Abuse Advisory Council on designing and implementing a substance abuse recovery system in rural Appalachia. Details the need for workforce training and employment via support services post-treatment.
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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Breathless and Betrayed: What is MSHA Doing to Protect Miners from the Resurgence of Black Lung Disease?
Provides a U.S. House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections hearing on the increase in lung disease among coal miners, particularly in the Appalachian states of Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia, and what the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) should do about it. Addresses the history of black lung in the U.S., black lung statistics, the impact of quartz exposure and ways to reduce it, and the finances of the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. Includes testimony from the Government Accountability Office, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, United Mine Workers of America, University of Illinois School of Public Health, and others.
Additional links: Cecil Roberts, John Howard Testimony, Robert Cohen Testimony
Date: 06/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: U.S. House of Representatives
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Serum Cotinine Versus Parent Reported Measures of Secondhand Smoke Exposure in Rural Appalachian Children
Highlights a study of secondhand smoke exposure in Appalachian children. Features data collected from children aged 7-9 and compares rates to national and Appalachian-state rates.
Author(s): Samrat Yeramaneni, Kimberly Yolton, Kurunthachalam Kannan, Kim N. Dietrich, Erin N. Haynes
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 1(1), 15-26
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
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