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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

White Paper on Telehealth in the Rural American West
Describes issues of healthcare access for rural communities in the American West and ways that telehealth can address disparities in access and health conditions for rural and underserved populations. Offers an overview of telehealth technology, policy, barriers to implementation, and recommendations.
Author(s): Bruce E. Cain
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Stanford Bill Lane Center for the American West
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Primary Care Needs Assessment of Arkansas
Offers an overview of health needs in Arkansas, including a state profile that covers rurality, race/ethnicity, poverty, food insecurity, and other population characteristics, and the state's health system and access to care. Presents results of a community needs assessment addressing workforce development, social determinants of health, and mental and behavioral health services.
Author(s): Quinyatta P. Mumford, Wayne Miller, Ellie Wheeler, Payton Christenberry, Robin Howell
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Rural Health Section
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Striving for Birth Equity: Family Medicine's Role in Overcoming Disparities in Maternal Morbidity and Mortality
Policy position paper examining disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality, and offering recommendations for ways in which family physicians, educators, and policy makers can facilitate and advocate for change. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Academy of Family Physicians
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Telehealth and Telemedicine in Missouri
Discusses telehealth programs in Missouri, including the early contributions of the Missouri Telehealth Network to the growth of telehealth and the MO HealthNet program. Discusses telehealth's impact on rural healthcare access and state-level approaches to reimbursement, licensing, restrictions, and telemedicine delivery.
Author(s): Mirna Becevic, Lincoln R. Sheets, Emmanuelle Wallach, et al.
Citation: Missouri Medicine, 117(3), 228-234
Date: 2020
Type: Document
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Determinants of Rural-Urban Differences in Health Care Provider Visits Among Women of Reproductive Age in the United States
Uses nationally representative data to investigate whether rural and urban women of reproductive age experience differences in healthcare provider visits. Features rural/urban comparisons on individual- and county-level characteristics and medical provider visits by type of healthcare professional.
Author(s): Hyunjung Lee, Ashley H. Hirai, Ching-Ching Claire Lin, John E. Snyder
Citation: PLos One, 15(12), e0240700
Date: 2020
Type: Document
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Caring for People with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders in Primary Care Settings
Report explores how primary care providers can best provide mental health and substance use disorder services to their patients. Discusses the barriers to behavioral healthcare in rural areas such as insurance coverage, workforce shortages, and lack of transportation, among others, and highlights the role primary care providers can play in overcoming those barriers.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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A Portrait of Louisiana 2020: Human Development in an Age of Uncertainty
Assesses well-being and access to opportunities among Louisiana residents by examining health disparities, access to healthy food, social determinants of health, racial inequality, and other topics. Provides human development index (HDI) scores for Louisiana state by gender, race, ethnicity, and parish.
Author(s): Kristen Lewis
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Measure of America
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Supporting American Indian & Alaskan Native Communities Combating COVID-19
Reports on a virtual roundtable panel on health disparities related to COVID-19 facing American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Discusses the Indian Health Service response to the pandemic and gaps in pandemic-related services, including telehealth access, underfunded and understaffed healthcare facilities, data quality and information access, cultural literacy, and behavioral health needs. Addresses social determinants of health for Native populations, citing data from research studies and quoting roundtable panelists.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Executives for Health Innovation
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After Hurricane Maria - Predisaster Conditions, Hurricane Damage, and Recovery Needs in Puerto Rico
Report details the state of Puerto Rico's economy, environment, education, and healthcare both before and after hurricane Maria. Discusses the barriers to rebuilding various infrastructures across the commonwealth, including in rural communities.
Author(s): Jordan R. Fischbach, Linnea Warren May, Katie Whipkey, et al.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Improving Behavioral Health Screening & Access to Treatment for Veterans in Community Care
Describes a partnership between Veterans Rural Health Resource Center in Iowa City, Iowa; the Iowa Primary Care Association; and the Community Health Centers of Southeastern Iowa. Provides an overview of Phase I of the collaboration, which focused on implementing a new screening process at 4 rural FQHCs to properly identify all veterans seeking care. Discusses the broader impact of this initiative and next steps.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Community Health Centers of Southeastern Iowa, Iowa Primary Care Association, Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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