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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Virginia

Tobacco Use and Health Insurance Literacy Among Vulnerable Populations: Implications for Health Reform
Results of a study examining health insurance literacy among tobacco users, with data collected from 631 lower-income, predominantly minority residents of rural Virginia. Features statistics on insurance choice and cost, age, race, education, and tobacco use.
Author(s): Robert T. Braun, Yaniv Hanoch, Andrew J. Barnes
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 17, 729
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
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The Front Lines of the Opioid Crisis: Perspectives from States, Communities, and Providers
Video recording details the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on the opioid epidemic. Features testimony detailing efforts to combat opioid addiction from representatives of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry; the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals; the Wisconsin Prescription Drug Monitoring Program; and the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.
Date: 11/2017
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Robert Pack & Maggie Elehwany: VRHA Keynoters--and VRHA Board President Summer Sage
Recording from the 2017 Virginia Rural Health Association (VRHA)'s Rural Health Providers Conference. Discussion of new rural healthcare-related education initiatives and resources, grant funding to help combat the Virginia opioid crisis, and rural health policy developments on the federal level and their impact on rural areas.
Date: 11/2017
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Rural Affairs, National Rural Education Association
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Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program Supports Sustainable Change
Provides an overview of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program and the impact several grantees have made in their communities. Discusses how the grantees planned their projects with the goal of sustaining services after the grant funding ends.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural Transportation Best Practice: Transportation for Individuals with Chronic Care Conditions
Highlights a program called Mountain Empire Older Citizens (MEOC), which is a transportation assistance service for individuals with chronic conditions in Big Stone Gap, VA. Details the demographics of the town, as well as the structure of the program.
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
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The Effects of Multiple Chronic Conditions on Adult Patient Readmissions and Hospital Finances
Reports on a study of the financial impact of patients hospitalized with multiple chronic conditions on a regional hospital serving rural Virginia. Focuses on total margin per admission, readmission rates, and the number of clinical conditions per patient. Identifies differences in hospital margin for patients with different chronic conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). Discusses the potential return on investment for preventing admissions and readmissions.
Author(s): Michael Mihailoff, Shreyasi Deb, James A. Lee, Joanne Lynn
Citation: Inquiry, 54, 1-6
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
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Health Disparities in Appalachia
Measures population health in Appalachia and explores disparities within the region and between Appalachia and the country as a whole. Features statistics on mortality, morbidity, behavioral health, child health, community characteristics, lifestyle, healthcare systems, quality of care, and social determinants, with breakdowns between urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Julie L. Marshall, Logan Thomas, Nancy M. Lane, et al.
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, PDA, Inc., The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Characterization of Non-Nutritive Sweetener Intake in Rural Southwest Virginian Adults Living in a Health-Disparate Region
Identifies non-nutritive sweetener (NNS) intake among adults living in rural southwest Virginia. Examines if differences exist between NNS consumers and NNS non-consumers by demographics, weight and body mass index (BMI), cardio-metabolic measures, dietary intake and quality.
Author(s): Valisa E. Hedrick, Erin M. Passaro, Brenda M. Davy, Wen You, Jamie M. Zoellner
Citation: Nutrients, 9(7), 757
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
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Mass Media Campaign to Reduce Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages in a Rural Area of the United States
Results of a study in which messages about health risks associated with sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) were disseminated in 2015-2016 through television, digital channels, and local organizations, in 17 rural counties in Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky. Features statistics including comparisons of SSB sales in this area before and after the campaign.
Author(s): Thomas A. Farley, Hayli S. Halper, Anne M. Carlin, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 107(6), 989-995
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
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Promising Practice: Virginia SORH Taking Aim at Opioid Overdose
Illustrates how the Virginia State Office of Rural Health (VA SORH) and its partners are focusing their attention on the opioid epidemic in rural areas of the state by expanding treatment, and training lay rescuers to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose and administer naloxone when necessary.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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