Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Virginia

Substance Use in Rural Central Appalachia: Current Status and Treatment Considerations
Examines the factors in rural Central Appalachia that influence substance misuse and the treatments, strategies, and interventions to curb drug misuse and improve treatment outcomes. Discusses how the combination of poverty, work-related distress, lack of healthcare coverage, and the shortage of qualified providers of substance use treatments affect the need for a multifaceted policy approach in the region.
Author(s): Lara Moody, Emily Satterwhite, Warren K. Bickel
Citation: Rural Mental Health, 41(2), 123-135
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
view details
The Sky's the Limit: Potential of Drone Usage in Rural Healthcare
Reports on how drones could be used in rural areas to address health-related concerns such as search and rescue, mosquito spraying, and delivery of supplies. Describes the July 2015 medical outreach event in rural Virginia where a drone was used to deliver prescription medicine.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
The Impact of Health Literacy on Rural Adults' Satisfaction with a Multi-Component Intervention to Reduce Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake
Examines if health literacy influences study participants' perceptions and satisfaction with different components of SIPsmartER, a behavioral health intervention designed to reduce sugary beverage intake in rural, low socioeconomic adults in Virginia. Includes SIPsmartER assessment and health literacy data by annual income, employment status, health insurance, and other characteristics.
Author(s): A. N. Bailey, K. J. Porter, J. L. Hill, et al.
Citation: Health Education Research, 31(4), 492-508
Date: 08/2016
Type: Document
view details
Aging Gracefully: The PACE Approach to Caring for Frail Elders in the Community
Provides an overview of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) model, which offer participants comprehensive medical and long-term services and supports. Highlights Mountain Empire's PACE, which serves older adults in rural Virginia.
Author(s): Martha Hostetter, Sarah Klein, Douglas McCarthy
Date: 08/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
view details
Pathways to BSN: A Look at Virginia's Registered Nurse Workforce
Provides information about the registered nurse workforce in Virginia including how registered nurses advance in the profession, their educational debt and their income. Provides rural, suburban, and urban data.
Date: 07/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
view details
Planning for Transportation Together: Collaborating to Address Transportation and Economic Resilience
Expands on the definition of economic development in transportation, and provides case studies demonstrating how state agencies, regional and rural planning, and development organizations can work together to develop transportation facilities, infrastructure, and services to create jobs, improve access to employment, education, and community services, including healthcare.
Author(s): Carrie Kissel, Brett Schwartz, Sara James, Susan Dyer
Date: 07/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Development Organizations
view details
Effects of a Behavioral and Health Literacy Intervention to Reduce Sugar-sweetened Beverages: A Randomized-Controlled Trial
Details a study on the effect of several sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption intervention programs on rural adults from 8 counties in Appalachian Virginia. Compares the SIPsmartER and the MoveMore intervention programs and tracks their effectiveness at promoting health literacy relating to SSBs. Breaks down data by age, body weight, and educational attainment, as well as several other factors.
Author(s): Jamie M. Zoellner, Valisa E. Hendrick, Wen You, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 13, 38
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
view details
Systematic Review of Palliative Care in the Rural Setting
Synthesizes the results of an extensive search of the medical literature focused on the developments in palliative care for patients living in rural areas in the U.S. and internationally to determine where gaps in the research may occur. Suggests promising approaches including telehealth, community-academic partnerships, and training for rural healthcare providers.
Author(s): Marie A. Bakitas, Ronit Elk, Meka Astin, et al.
Citation: Cancer Control, 22(4), 450-464
Date: 10/2015
Type: Document
view details
The Availability of Competitive Foods and Beverages to Middle School Students in Appalachian Virginia Before Implementation of the 2014 Smart Snacks in School Standards
Examines nutritional quality of foods and beverages available in 8 rural Virginia middle schools. Includes statistics with breakdowns by number of foods and beverages offered, number that were compliant with USDA National School Lunch Program standards, percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunches, and percentages of components such as sugar, fat, and sodium in available foods.
Author(s): Georgianna Mann, Vivica Kraak, Elena Serrano
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 12
Date: 09/2015
Type: Document
view details
Increases in Hepatitis C Virus Infection Related to Injection Drug Use Among Persons Aged ≤30 Years - Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, 2006-2012
Discusses opioid abuse, drug injecting, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in central Appalachia, with data on HCV infection rates for four states. Includes data for rural and urban areas by gender and race/ethnicity.
Author(s): Jon E. Zibbell, Kashif Iqbal, Rajiv C. Patel, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 64(17), 453-458
Date: 05/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details