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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Health Disparities in Rural America: Current Challenges and Future Solutions
Describes health risks experienced by rural people and the problems they face in accessing healthcare in shortage areas, and offers possible solutions. Includes a map showing Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas by county, and a list of states allowing full practice authority for nurse practitioners as of 2019.
Author(s): Theresa Capriotti, Tiffany Pearson, Lillian Dufour
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Clinical Advisor
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Variation in Use of Home Health Care among Fee-for-Service Medicare Beneficiaries by Rural-Urban Status and Geographic Region: Assessing the Potential for Unmet Need
County-level analysis of home health care use by Medicare beneficiaries in 2013. Explores characteristics of beneficiaries and their communities. Features statistics with breakdowns by geographic region and 5 levels of population density.
Author(s): Tracy M. Mroz, Lisa A. Garberson, Jennifer L. Wong, et al.
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Building Partnerships to Improve Health in the Rural South: CareSouth Carolina
Provides an overview of CareSouth Carolina, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), and its approaches to increase engagement with low-income patients in its service area. Describes the role of community health workers to address social determinants of health. Discusses partnerships with community organizations and the development of an independent practice association with other FQHCs in South Carolina. Includes CareSouth Carolina's performance scorecard and a summary of lessons learned.
Author(s): Martha Hostetter, Sarah Klein
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Options for Rural Health Care Delivery in Maryland
Presents a high-level overview of rural health care delivery options and considerations for future access to health services in Kent and upper Queen Anne's Counties and other rural Maryland communities. Features demographics and statistics on inpatient discharges from 2014-2018.
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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Telehealth Use among Rural Individuals with Disabilities
Presents a review of literature on telehealth use by people with disabilities in rural areas, covering research published in the period 2000-2019. Identifies benefits, limitations, and challenges, including barriers associated with regulation and funding, and identifies areas for further study.
Author(s): Keith M Christensen, Jill Bezyak
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rocky Mountain ADA Center (RMADAC)
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Understanding and Addressing the Drivers of Infant Mortality in Maine
Overview of infant mortality data for Maine between 2000 and 2017. Includes county-level data as well as rural and urban comparisons. Discusses causes of mortality, risk factors, challenges for rural residents in the Maine healthcare system, social determinants of health, and more. Makes recommendations for decreasing infant mortality with specific recommendations for rural.
Author(s): Katherine Flaherty
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
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State of Maine Broadband Action Plan
Plan for establishing universal high-speed broadband access throughout Maine, to improve delivery and reduce costs of services including healthcare and education. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: ConnectMaine Authority
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Barriers to Palliative and Hospice Care Utilization in Older Adults with Cancer: A Systematic Review
Shares the results of a literature review analyzing various sociodemographic variables, including rural residence, to describe challenges older adults with cancer experience when accessing hospice and palliative care services.
Author(s): Jyotsana Parajuli, Aluem Tark, Ying-Ling Jao, Judith Hupcey
Citation: Journal of Geriatric Oncology, 11(1), 8-16
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
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Kentucky's Primary Care Workforce: Current Status and Output of New Trainees, January 2020 Update
Presents data and information about the primary care workforce in Kentucky and trainee pipelines supplying new primary care physicians to Kentucky. Features statistics on expected shortfalls among Kentucky primary care physicians, numbers of primary care Advanced Practice Registered Nurses with breakdowns by practice locations in underserved and rural areas, and ratio of primary care physicians to Kentucky population by county and Health Professional Shortage Areas designation, as of 2018.
Author(s): Kevin A. Pearce, Sydney Thompson, Fran Feltner, R. Brent Wright, Joe E. Kingery
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health
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Rural Availability of the Obstetrician-Gynecologist Physician and Certified Nurse Midwife Workforce
Brief examining Obstetrician-Gynecologist workforce and maternal care in rural Arizona by county, discussing impacts of workforce shortages on rural mothers.
Author(s): B Koch, S Coates, S Brady, H Carter, D Derksen
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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