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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Virginia

Telehealth Brings Important Services to Rural Long-Term Care Facilities
Discusses the benefits of telehealth services for residents and staff of rural long-term care facilities. Identifies some of the challenges related to providing these services. Features a New Hampshire skilled nursing facility providing telemental health services, and a Virginia geriatrician helping long-term care facilities address COVID-19 via Project ECHO educational sessions.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Bottled and Well Water Quality in a Small Central Appalachian Community: Household-Level Analysis of Enteric Pathogens, Inorganic Chemicals, and Health Outcomes in Rural Southwest Virginia
Results of a study to characterize and assess household-level water sources, water quality, and associated health outcomes in Central Appalachia. Uses data from surveys and water samples from 9 households in a small rural community without utility-supplied water in southwest Virginia.
Author(s): Leigh-Anne Krometis, Marc Edwards, Teresa Brown, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(14), 8610
Date: 07/2022
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Farm Dinner Theater: Farmers Helping Farmers
Video highlighting a Cooperative Extension-led program where community members take part in dinner theater productions that focus on issues related to farm health.
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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BuchananCares Program: A Team-based Care Pilot Led by a Rural Community Hospital and Local Pharmacist
Describes BuchananCares, a collaboration among health professionals from the Appalachian College of Pharmacy, Buchanan General Hospital in rural Virginia, and the Virginia Department of Health. Designed to reduce patient readmissions and improve medication use for patients with COPD, diabetes, heart failure, and pneumonia.
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Community Preventive Services Task Force
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Focus on School-based Mental Health for Rural Central Virginia's Youth
Policy brief highlighting the increasing need for mental healthcare among the rural youth population of central Virginia and in the U.S. in general. Explores the effect that pandemic-related school shutdowns have had on youth mental health and the stigma surrounding mental healthcare in rural areas. Features statistics on suicide rates per 100,000 population with breakdowns by sex and rural or urban location, and student to school psychologist ratios from 2019-2020 with breakdowns by state.
Author(s): Sety Abooali
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Virginia State Office of Rural Health
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A Rural Community's Perspective on the Causes of and Solutions to the Opioid Crisis in Southern Virginia: A Qualitative Study
Results of a study to gain insight into the perceptions, knowledge, and experiences of members of a southern Virginia rural community affected by the opioid crisis, to inform the development of local strategies to address the problem. Examines barriers and facilitators to treatment programs and offers recommendations for targeting populations at risk.
Author(s): Angelina J. Hargrove, Carlin Rafie, Emily Zimmerman, Dawn E. Moser
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 22(2), 7152
Date: 06/2022
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Framework for Optimizing Air Ambulance Locations
Describes a framework for optimizing air ambulance services delivery based on demand and constraints to other modes of transportation. Highlights how data can be used to identify locations where air ambulance services could be located for optimal use. Includes maps showing candidate locations for air ambulance bases in Virginia and New England.
Author(s): Sabin Ahmed, Robert D. Lieberthal, David M. Hechtman, et al.
Citation: AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings, 2022, 102-111
Date: 05/2022
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Food Insecurity in Southwest Virginia
Policy brief exploring the intersectionality between food insecurity and socioeconomic status as well as COVID-19 impacts in Southwest Virginia (SWVA), a primarily-rural area with the highest food insecurity and lowest socioeconomic status in Virginia. Highlights the seriousness and complexity of food insecurity in SWVA and the need for future research. Features statistics comparing food insecurity rates and median household income in Grayson County and Loudoun County, and the relationship between labor force and unemployment rate between 2016-2022.
Author(s): Sety Abooali
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: Virginia State Office of Rural Health
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A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial for a Multi-Level, Clinic-Based Smoking Cessation Program with Women in Appalachian Communities: Study Protocol for the "Break Free" Program
Results of a study to increase smoking cessation among women living in rural Appalachia, by embedding a smoking cessation program within a larger cervical cancer prevention program. Uses data from focus groups comprising 510 women from West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia.
Author(s): Joanne G. Patterson, Tia N. Borger, Jessica L. Burris, et al.
Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 17(11)
Date: 02/2022
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Assessment of the Capacity of Virginia's Licensed Behavioral Health Workforce
Provides statewide and locality-specific data on the capacity of each of Virginia's licensed behavioral health (BH) professional types, data regarding Virginia's pipeline to produce more BH professionals, current demand for them, and the consequences of an inadequate supply. Features county-level maps showing distribution of psychiatrists, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners, licensed clinical psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, and licensed professional counselors, and a map showing Virginia Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas with limited broadband service.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Health Care Foundation
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