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Rural Health
Resources by State: Washington

Early Elective Delivery and Vaginal Birth After Cesarean in Rural US Maternity Hospitals
Results of a telephone survey of 263 rural hospitals in nine states, describing policies related to early elective delivery and vaginal birth after cesarean procedures. Includes statistics with breakdowns by birth volume, types and numbers of clinicians delivering babies, and types of operating rooms for cesareans.
Author(s): Demetra Heinrich, Rachel Vogel, Katy Kozhimannil
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 16(4), 3956
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
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Evaluation of Policy Options for Increasing the Availability of Primary Care Services in Rural Washington State
Analyzes policy options that the Washington state legislature has considered to address a perceived shortage of primary care physicians in rural Washington. Provides background on the rural primary care workforce within the state and projects the impacts each policy option would have through 2025. Policy options considered include: opening a new medical school at Washington State University (WSU), increasing the number of residency positions in the state, increasing loan repayment incentives to encourage rural practice, increasing Medicaid payment rates for rural physicians, and encouraging the use of alternative primary care models.
Additional links: Summary and Key Findings
Author(s): Mark W. Friedberg, Grant R. Martsolf, Chapin White, et al.
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Findings from the Field: Medicaid Delivery Systems and Access to Care in Four States in Year Three of the ACA
Explores the experiences of four states that participated in Medicaid expansion as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA): Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Washington. Examines what each state is doing to transition, from outreach and enrollment activities, to improving delivery systems and access to care. Contains rural-specific content and information on how the states are dealing with the expanded Medicaid population. Addresses how Community Health Centers have responded to the Medicaid expansion.
Author(s): Samantha Artiga, Robin Rudowitz, Jennifer Tolbert, Julia Paradise, Melissa Majerol
Date: 09/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Cultural Norms in Conflict: Breastfeeding Among Hispanic Immigrants in Rural Washington State
Examines breastfeeding perceptions, experiences, and attitudes among 20 Hispanic women ages 25-48. Features demographics and statistics on country of birth, employment, marital status, education, income, and infant feeding practices,
Author(s): Sarah Hohl, Beti Thompson, Monica Escareño, Catherine Duggan
Citation: Maternal and Child Health Journal, 20(7), 1549-1557
Date: 07/2016
Type: Document
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Working in Rural Health
A video describing the benefits of working as a healthcare provider in a rural location, including testimonials from providers working in rural Washington. Length: 4:25
Date: 07/2016
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Washington State Department of Health
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The Role of Diet in Children's Exposure to Organophosphate Pesticides
Examines associations between pesticide exposure and fruit and vegetable consumption in children of farmworkers and non-farmworkers in a rural agricultural setting throughout multiple growing seasons.
Author(s): Francesca Holme, Beti Thompson, Sarah Holte, et al.
Citation: Environmental Research, 147, 133-140
Date: 05/2016
Type: Document
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Proactively Pursuing Value-Based Payment
Profiles a program developed at a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) located in rural Washington that is transitioning from volume- to value-based care. The CEO of the hospital is working with payers to design a value-based payment contract to help the facility fund the continued transition to value-based care and hopefully create a payment model other CAHs in the state can adopt.
Date: 05/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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State Variations in the Rural Obstetric Workforce
Illustrates the challenges affecting the obstetric workforce in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and other rural hospitals having at least 10 births in 2010 by analyzing data derived from a telephone survey conducted in 9 states. Includes data for each state on hospital and provider characteristics, and services provided for labor and delivery.
Author(s): Peiyin Hung, Katy B. Kozhimannil, Michelle M. Casey, Carrie Henning-Smith, Shailendra Prasad
Date: 05/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Breaking the Silence: Sexual Harassment of Mexican Women Farmworkers
Study of Mexican women farmworker experiences of workplace sexual harassment in rural Yakima Valley, Washington. Data taken from 2 focus group sessions of 10 participants each, reflecting frequency of sexual harassment and hostile work environment experiences. Discusses negative health effects of workplace and harassment-related stress, barriers to reporting, and prevention strategies.
Author(s): Nicole Jung-Eun Kim, Victoria Breckwich Vásquez, Elizabeth Torres, R. M. Bud Nicola, Catherine Karr
Citation: Journal of Agromedicine, 21(2), 154-162
Date: 03/2016
Type: Document
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Factors Associated with High-Risk Rural Women Giving Birth in Non-NICU Hospital Settings
Identifies risk factors for childbirth among high-risk rural women in a hospital without a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Analyzes information from maternal hospital discharge data from childbirth hospitalizations for rural residents from Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. Includes statistics for women with multiple gestation and preterm delivery by age, primary payer, race, rurality, state, and local NICU capacity.
Author(s): K. B. Kozhimannil, P. Hung, M. M. Casey, S. A. Lorch
Citation: Journal of Perinatology, 36, 510–515
Date: 02/2016
Type: Document
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