Rural Health
Resources by State: West 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
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Harm Reduction – West Virginia Local Health Departments Lead Efforts to Mitigate Human and Financial Costs of Opioid Epidemic
Describes West Virginia public health departments' efforts to promote harm reduction programs, as a response to the opioid crisis and resulting overdose deaths. Gives examples of successful programs from across the state.
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: West Virginia Association of Local Health Departments
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Examination of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Rurality in Appalachian Children
Results of a study to examine risk factors in a representative sample of 73,014 5th grade students from West Virginia. Features statistics including breakdowns by six levels of population density, sex, race, mother's education, body-mass index, blood pressure, and levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.
Author(s): Christa L. Lilly, Amna Umer, L. Cottrell, L. Pyles, W. Neal
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 17(1), 4200
Date: 03/2017
Type: Document
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Antifibrinolytics in a Rural Trauma State: Assessing the Opportunities
Retrospective review evaluating the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) at a level 1 trauma center located in a rural area as a treatment to improve mortality and prevent hemorrhagic death in trauma patients. Documents the number of rural trauma patients who met the criteria for receiving TXA treatment, and determines if patients experiencing longer transport times and/or transfers from other hospitals such as Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) would be regarded as ineligible for effective TXA treatment.
Author(s): James M Bardes, Amanda Palmer, Jorge Con, Alison Wilson, Gregory Schaefer
Citation: Trauma Surgery and Acute Care Open, 2(1)
Date: 2017
Type: Document
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Community Adaptations to an Impending Food Desert in Rural Appalachia, USA
Reports on a study examining how rural Alderson, West Virginia addressed the forthcoming food desert when the only grocery store in town closed. Addresses the impact of a new food hub on the food desert.
Author(s): Wayne Miller, Denver Rogalla, Dustin Spencer, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 16(4), 3901
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
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Surgical Care Improvement Project Measures among Rural and Urban Hospitals in West Virginia
Reviews data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) from 10 rural community hospitals in West Virginia to determine the quality of surgical care given by rural providers. Data reported was compared to a set of process measures demonstrating the rates of surgical morbidity and mortality, surgical site infections, and other complications following surgery.
Author(s): Yuya K. Kudo, Linda V. Davis, Dustin M. Long, John C. Honaker, Don K. Nakayama
Citation: American Surgeon, 82(1), E20-E22
Date: 08/2016
Type: Document
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Using i2b2 to Bootstrap Rural Health Analytics and Learning Networks
Describes a project to connect and share data among rural healthcare sites and researchers using the open-source Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) data model in building the West Virginia/Kentucky Health Analytics and Learning Network. Includes map showing locations of clinics.
Author(s): Daniel R. Harris, Adam D. Baus, Tamela J. Harper, et al.
Citation: Conference Proceedings of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society 2016, 2533-2536
Date: 08/2016
Type: Document
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Adoption of a Tai Chi Intervention, Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance, for Fall Prevention by Rural Faith-Based Organizations, 2013-2014
Results of a study of fall-prevention exercises geared toward adults ages 65 or above, conducted by 19 trained instructors through faith-based organizations in 7 rural West Virginia counties.
Author(s): Dina L. Jones, Rachael W. Starcher, Jennifer L. Eicher, Sara Wilcox
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 13
Date: 07/2016
Type: Document
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Perceptions of the Role of West Virginia's Cooperative Extension Service in Tobacco Control Coalitions
Examines the Cooperative Extension Service's involvement in county-level coalitions addressing tobacco use in West Virginia with a focus on prevention for elementary students. Identifies methods to increase the role of the Extension Service that will improve lives, reduce economic hardships on families, and lessen the healthcare costs on state government.
Author(s): Donald Reed, Dana Lester, Kathy Danberry, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 4, 83
Date: 05/2016
Type: Document
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15 Million Kids in Health Care Deserts: Can Telehealth Make a Difference?
Highlights healthcare access problems for children of vulnerable populations living in rural and poverty stricken areas. Discusses how telehealth can be implemented to overcome these barriers. Describes several case studies focused on improving access to healthcare services for children, including a rural school-based telehealth program.
Author(s): Dale Alverson, Julie Hall-Barrow, Denise M. Dion, et al.
Date: 04/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Children's Health Fund
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