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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Chartbook on Healthcare for Veterans
Explores the disparities in access to, and healthcare received by, veterans. Describes disparities between veterans and non-veterans, within the veteran population, and among users of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Includes rural-urban comparisons throughout.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Making it Work: Models of Success in Rural Maternity Care
Describes factors that underlie 3 successful models of rural maternity care and informs communities, clinicians, and hospitals wishing to keep obstetric services available on the local level. Includes information from interviews conducted at facilities in Baldwin, Wisconsin; Lakin, Kansas; and Russelville, Arkansas.
Author(s): Katy B. Kozhimannil, Carrie Henning-Smith, Megan Lahr, Mary Gilbertson
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Urban–Rural Disparities in Access to Low-Dose Computed Tomography Lung Cancer Screening in Missouri and Illinois
Investigates the relationship between rurality and access to low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) lung cancer screening. Includes county-level maps for Missouri and Illinois, with data on LDCT access, lung cancer deaths per 100,000 people, and prevalence of adult smoking.
Author(s): Karthik Rohatgi, Christine Marx, Marquita Lewis-Thames, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
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Insurer Participation on the ACA Marketplaces, 2014-2021
Reports on the changes in health insurer participation in the ACA marketplace from 2014 to 2021 for all counties in the U.S. in chart, table, and interactive map formats.
Additional links: County-Specific Data
Author(s): Daniel McDermott, Cynthia Cox
Date: 11/2020
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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ACEP Rural Emergency Care Task Force 2020: Report to the ACEP Board of Directors
Final report of the American College of Emergency Physicians' 2020 Rural Emergency Care Task Force. Addresses objectives and offers recommendations for developing strategies to support the current rural emergency department (ED) workforce, promote training, facilitate use of telemedicine, and improve quality of patient care. Features statistics on characteristics of hospitals in rural areas, and includes information on typical rural ED hospital practice environments in areas with 6 levels of population density.
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American College of Emergency Physicians
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Internet Access Disparities in Alabama & the Black Belt
Issue brief describing disparities in access to broadband service in Alabama's Black Belt region, comparing access to broadband coverage at rates above 100 Mbps and above 25 Mbps for all counties in the state to the statewide average. Discusses investments in broadband infrastructure in the region and in other rural areas of Alabama, telehealth access during the COVID-19 pandemic, and nationwide efforts to expand broadband coverage.
Author(s): Stephen G. Katsinas, Noel E. Keeney, Emily Jacobs, Emily Grace Corley, Hunter Whann
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Alabama Education Policy Center
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Healthcare: A Key Challenge in Alabama's Black Belt
Issue brief examining healthcare access in Alabama's Black Belt region compared to national trends. Covers hospital beds in relation to population, rural hospital closures, COVID-19 strain, and policy impacts.
Author(s): Emily Jacobs, Hunter Whann, Emily Grace Corley, Jonathan Bowen, Noel Keeney
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Alabama Education Policy Center
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Bringing Lawyers onto the Health Center Care Team to Promote Patient & Community Health
Discusses the role of health center medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) to address social determinants of health. Offers information and tools for health centers, primary care associations, and other organizations to start, strengthen, and sustain an MLP. Describes how to develop screening, referral, and service delivery workflows; how integrating legal services can support health center workforce development; and types of projects MLPs can engage in to help health centers address social determinants of health and health equity at a policy level.
Author(s): Kate Marple. Mallory Curran, Ellen Lawton, Danielle Rahajason
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership
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Development and Implementation of a Telenephrology Dashboard for Active Surveillance of Kidney Disease: A Quality Improvement Project
Explores a study on the use of telehealth for early detection and intervention in cases of kidney disease among rural veterans. Evaluates a telenephrology consultation program run by the VA Health Care System at a number of locations in rural Iowa.
Author(s): Melissa L. Swee, M. Lee Sanders, Kantima Phisitkul, et al.
Citation: BCM Nephrology, 21, 424
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
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Engaging Communities to Preserve Access to Emergency Medical Services in Rural Maine
White paper focusing on rural EMS issues and how Informed Community Self Determination (ICSD) might be implemented to address these issues in Maine. Intended to ensure that individuals understand the EMS capabilities in their community, that the services are the type and level needed, and that services are adequately funded.
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Action Network
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