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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Overcoming Racial Disparities and Social Determinants in the Maternal Mortality Crisis
Provides testimonies and the recording of a hearing before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee on disparities in maternal mortality. Discusses disparities by race and geographic location, social determinants of health, challenges in rural access to obstetrics, and potential steps for action. Includes testimony from the American Medical Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Maternal Mortality Projects Coordinator at the Virginia Department of Health, and others.
Additional links: Lisa Hollier Testimony, Loren Robinson Testimony, Melanie Rouse Testimony, Patrice Harris Testimony, American Medical Association, Video Recording
Date: 05/2019
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee
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The Competition Conundrum
Reports on an analysis of hospital and health insurance carrier market competition in Colorado and offers county-level data. Assesses the relationship between market competition and health insurance premiums. Includes discussion on health insurance market challenges specific to rural areas. Offers suggestions to improve market competition and conditions.
Date: 05/2019
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Health Institute
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Report on Promoting Broadband Internet Access Service for Veterans Pursuant to the Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act of 2018
Provides an overview of broadband access and broadband adoption for low-income and rural veteran households. Details barriers for veterans accessing broadband and efforts to increase access, such as the Universal Service Fund and Rural Health Care programs. Discusses the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) special focus on providing healthcare services for veterans in rural and remote locations via telehealth. Offers recommendations for Congress regarding broadband access for low-income and rural veterans.
Date: 05/2019
Sponsoring organization: Federal Communications Commission
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Report on Broadband Deployment in Indian Country, Pursuant to the Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act of 2018
Provides an overview of fixed and mobile broadband deployment throughout tribal lands. Offers data comparing rural and urban tribal and non-tribal household broadband coverage. Discusses programs and other actions to increase access to broadband on tribal lands, including a focus on the Rural Health Care Program.
Date: 05/2019
Sponsoring organization: Federal Communications Commission
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Health and Health Care for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs)
Compares the rates of poverty, job security, insurance coverage, and chronic health needs in the American Indian and Alaska Native populations in the U.S.
Additional links: Infographic, Slides
Date: 05/2019
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Mobile Coaching: Innovation and Small Scale Experimentation to Better Engage Program Participants in Rural Colorado
Examines mobile coaching as a strategy targeted at Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) participants in rural La Plata County, Colorado to improve access to transportation. Discusses the efficacy of case managers transporting clients to their health and human services appointments and utilizing the commuting time for mentorship. Discusses program results, staff insights, and client experiences.
Author(s): Jonathan McCay, Marcia France, Loretta Lujan, Vicki Maestas, Alix Whittaker
Date: 04/2019
Sponsoring organization: Mathematica Policy Research
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A Geospatial Analysis of Distances to Hospitals That Admit Pediatric Asthma Patients
Study examining pediatric care concentration in urban areas of Florida and the impacts of regionalization on rural EMS operations, focusing on pediatric asthma exacerbations. Analyzes data from 11,226 EMS pediatric asthma encounters, tracking travel distance to admitting facilities using geospatial mapping, and comparing rural and urban EMS calls.
Author(s): Jennifer Fishe, Erik Finlay, Sam Palmer, Phyllis Hendry
Citation: Prehospital Emergency Care, 23(5), 882-886
Date: 04/2019
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Collaborative Models for Medication-Assisted Treatment: Key Elements of Vermont's Hub-and Spoke System
Describes the collaborative effort of three health-related organizations who partnered to develop and implement a medication assisted therapy (MAT) treatment practice using the hub and spoke model. This system was supported through a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Home State Plan amendment for Vermont, a mostly rural state, to modify their current MAT services to increase access to addiction treatment, integrate health and addictions care, improve health outcomes, and promote recovery.
Date: 04/2019
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Program (IAP)
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Rural-Urban Disparities in Access to Home- and Community-based Services and Supports: Stakeholder Perspectives from 14 States
Examines rural-urban disparities in the supply and utilization of home- and community-based services (HCBS). Identifies factors that impact access to HCBS in rural areas.
Author(s): Daniel Siconolfi, Regina A. Shih, Esther M. Friedman, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 20(4), 503-308
Date: 04/2019
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The Influence of a Place-Based Foundation and a Public University in Growing a Rural Health Workforce
Case study of a partnership between the JF Maddox Foundation, the University of New Mexico's Office for Community Health, a local community college, and local community hospitals in southeastern New Mexico to increase healthcare access through workforce recruitment, training, and health promotion efforts. Discusses the healthcare needs of the rapidly growing rural community of Hobbs, NM and describes outcomes and lessons learned from the private-public partnerships that responded to those needs.
Author(s): Robert Reid, Evelyn Rising, Arthur Kaufman, et al.
Citation: Journal of Community Health, 44(2), 292-296
Date: 04/2019
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