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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Quantification of Neighborhood-Level Social Determinants of Health in the Continental United States
Results of a study examining 71,901 census tracts, to quantify the social determinants of health (SDOH) consisting of advantage, isolation, opportunity, and mixed immigrant cohesion. Features demographic statistics with breakdowns by 7 multidimensional neighborhood typologies, including Rural Affordable. Offers comparisons between SDOH in Chicago and the rest of the continental United States.
Author(s): Marynia Kolak, Jay Bhatt, Yoon Hong Park, Norma A. Padron, Ayrin Molefe
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 3(1)
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
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Rural Disparities in Health and Healthcare by Race and Ethnicity
Webinar recording discusses the role race and ethnicity play in rural health disparities. Explores measures pertaining to disparities in health and wellness, preventative screenings, and healthcare access for American Indian, Black, Hispanic, White, and Asian populations in rural areas. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Webinar Transcript
Date: 01/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organizations: Rural Health Research Gateway, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Geographic Disparities Affect Access to Buprenorphine Services for Opioid Use Disorder
Results of a national study to determine the patient capacity of healthcare providers who received waivers to prescribe buprenorphine and the extent to which they were located in rural or urban areas with high rates of opioid abuse. Features 2018 county-level maps showing rates of patient capacity and counties with high need for treatment services.
Author(s): Christi A. Grimm
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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New Mexico Substance Use Disorder Treatment Gap Analysis
An overview of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services available in the state by county. Includes alcohol-related death rates and drug overdose death rates. Presents estimates of the people living with SUD who are in treatment or are in need of treatment. Offers recommendations for additional services needed to maximize and address the current gaps in services.
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Department of Health
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Health Care Use and Access among Rural and Urban Nonelderly Adult Medicare Beneficiaries
Highlights healthcare access and utilization by disabled adults under 65 who are enrolled in Medicare. Compares rural and urban participants by age, race, and geographic region, among other measures.
Author(s): Erika Ziller, Amanda Burgess, Deborah Thayer
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Community Action Guide: Building Stronger, Healthy, Drug-Free Rural Communities
Provides an overview of challenges rural communities face related to substance use disorder (SUD), including prescription opioid misuse. Identifies action steps rural communities can take related to prevention, treatment, recovery, and SUD-related issues such as stigma, transportation barriers, and lack of employment opportunities. Features programs that are working to address these issues in rural communities.
Additional links: Promising Practices Supplement
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of National Drug Control Policy
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HIV Testing Outcomes Among Blacks or African Americans — 50 Local U.S. Jurisdictions Accounting for the Majority of New HIV Diagnoses and Seven States with Disproportionate Occurrences of HIV in Rural Areas, 2017
Reports on HIV testing and diagnoses by a variety of demographic characteristics, including race/ethnicity. Examines linkage to medical care for African Americans with newly diagnosed HIV infection. Study covers 50 U.S. jurisdictions with the majority of new diagnoses as well as the seven states — Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Carolina — with high rural rates of HIV. Rural-specific data is not provided in the results.
Author(s): Aba D. Essuon, Hui Zhao, Guoshen Wang, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(4), 97-102
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Supporting the Mental Health Well-being of High School Students
Report evaluates the perceived need for school-based mental health services and the levels of access to those services by rural students and students of color. Bases results on surveys of high school students and makes corresponding recommendations. Compares the access to mental health services in rural, urban, and suburban schools.
Additional links: Infographic
Author(s): Michelle Croft, Shannon Hayes, Raeal Moore
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: ACT Center for Equity in Learning
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Expecting More: Addressing America's Maternal and Infant Health Crisis
Provides recording and witness testimony from the U.S. House of Representatives' Joint Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions and Workforce Protections Hearing on maternal mortality and disparities in maternal and infant care. Testimony includes some discussion of maternity care in rural areas.
Additional links: Joia Crear Perry Testimony, Stacey D. Stewart Testimony, Video of Hearing
Date: 01/2020
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: U.S. House of Representatives
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Association of a Remotely Offered Infectious Diseases eConsult Service with Improved Clinical Outcomes
Discusses an asynchronous infectious disease eConsultation program for hospitalized patients, and examines the program's effect on mortality, readmission, and hospital transfer at two rural Minnesota hospitals. Compares the implementation of this service with other telemedicine programs. Describes referring provider and infection disease specialists' satisfaction with the eConsultation service.
Author(s): Aaron J. Tande, Elie F. Berbari, Priya Ramar, et al.
Citation: Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 7(1)
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
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