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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: West Virginia

Advancing Innovation to End the HIV Epidemic: 2019 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Highlights
Highlights the approaches and outcomes of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Discusses some of the approaches by grant recipients and details the program's accomplishments nationally and regionally, such as West Virginia's use of telehealth to expand access to HIV services in rural areas.
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau
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Acceptability of Safe Drug Consumption Spaces among People Who Inject Drugs in Rural West Virginia
Presents a study on the acceptability of safe consumption spaces among people who inject drugs in rural West Virginia. Breaks down data by demographic data, overdoses, and drugs used, among other characteristics.
Author(s): Allison O'Rourke, Rebecca Hamilton White, Ju Nyeong Park, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 16, 51
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
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Report of Recommendations: Appalachian Regional Commission's Substance Abuse Advisory Council
Report outlines the recommendations of the ARC's Substance Abuse Advisory Council on designing and implementing a substance abuse recovery system in rural Appalachia. Details the need for workforce training and employment via support services post-treatment.
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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Psychosocial Supports in Medication-Assisted Treatment: Site Visit Findings and Conclusions
Profiles 5 programs that offer medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD), including several with rural components. Covers psychosocial support offered, staffing and staff training, collaboration and coordination, financing, data collection and quality improvement, lessons learned, and next steps for each program. Discusses the aspects of psychosocial support that are most important for positive outcomes, types of psychosocial support being used, and factors helping or impeding psychosocial support implementation, including stigma and workforce challenges. Appendix B reviews the literature on psychosocial support in MAT.
Additional links: Appendix B: Psychosocial Supports in Medication-Assisted Treatment: Recent Evidence and Current Practice
Author(s): Garrett Moran, Hannah Knudsen, Caroline Snyder
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Social Isolation and Loneliness: Insights from Rural Clinical Providers and Other Experts
Provides an overview of social isolation and loneliness and the factors, such as limited transportation options, that can contribute to these problems in rural areas. Includes discussion of social risk assessments. Features rural clinicians, researchers, and other experts sharing their perspectives on addressing these concerns.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Breathless and Betrayed: What is MSHA Doing to Protect Miners from the Resurgence of Black Lung Disease?
Provides a U.S. House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections hearing on the increase in lung disease among coal miners, particularly in the Appalachian states of Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia, and what the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) should do about it. Addresses the history of black lung in the U.S., black lung statistics, the impact of quartz exposure and ways to reduce it, and the finances of the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. Includes testimony from the Government Accountability Office, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, United Mine Workers of America, University of Illinois School of Public Health, and others.
Additional links: Cecil Roberts, John Howard Testimony, Robert Cohen Testimony
Date: 06/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: U.S. House of Representatives
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Patient Body Mass Index (BMI) Knowledge in a Rural Primary Care Population
Results of a study to determine changes between 2013 and 2017 in rural West Virginia clinic patients' knowledge of BMI topics and weight-related risk factors, and to determine incidence of physician discussions about BMI with patients. Features statistics on patient demographics and various aspects of BMI knowledge.
Author(s): Treah Haggerty, Jun Xiang, Dana King
Citation: Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 32(3), 413-417
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
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Understanding the Public Health Consequences of Suspending a Rural Syringe Services Program: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of People Who Inject Drugs
Details a study on the public health outcomes associated with discontinuing syringe services programs (SSPs) in rural areas where people who inject drugs (PWIDs) are prevalent. Focuses on the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department in West Virginia.
Author(s): Sean T. Allen, Suzanne M. Grieb, Allison O'Rourke, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 16
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
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Serum Cotinine Versus Parent Reported Measures of Secondhand Smoke Exposure in Rural Appalachian Children
Highlights a study of secondhand smoke exposure in Appalachian children. Features data collected from children aged 7-9 and compares rates to national and Appalachian-state rates.
Author(s): Samrat Yeramaneni, Kimberly Yolton, Kurunthachalam Kannan, Kim N. Dietrich, Erin N. Haynes
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 1(1), 15-26
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
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Wild . . . But Not So Wonderful - Responding to Injection Drug Use in West Virginia
Discusses the progress of the opioid crisis, including co-occurring diseases, in West Virginia. Explores barriers and limitations to treatment, stigma, and harm reduction programs. Highlights considerations for policymakers.
Author(s): Robin A. Pollini
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 109(3), 354–355
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
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