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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

HHS and HRSA Rural Summit
Summary of a January 28, 2019, discussion among rural healthcare stakeholders concerning challenges rural communities face in providing and accessing healthcare. Also explores opportunities for the Department of Health and Human Services Administration and the Health Resources and Services Administration to address these issues through program and policy development. Topics include access to care, workforce challenges, rural health system transformation, telehealth, and response to the opioid crisis.
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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California Improvement Network Toolkit: Three Strategies to Help Primary Care Teams Treat Substance Use Disorders
Provides a toolkit to help primary care organizations and teams integrate substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT), based on feedback from California healthcare organizations. Covers barriers to SUD services, as well as strategies and tactics to overcome them. Addresses how small and/or rural practices can access addiction specialists through contracts and telehealth.
Author(s): Crystal Eubanks
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Healthforce Center at UCSF
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American Cancer Society and Community Health Centers Partner to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening
Describes a partnership between the American Cancer Society and a system of community health centers in New Orleans and 7 rural locations in south central Texas, for the purpose of promoting interventions to increase rates of colorectal cancer screening. Examines strategies for reaching diverse, underserved populations and increasing community demand, community access, and provider delivery of services by using electronic health records to track screenings.
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Community Preventive Services Task Force
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Health Equity in New Mexico: 13th Edition
Provides information about the health status of various population groups throughout New Mexico and educates readers on the state's health equity issues. Designed to help policymakers and other stakeholders implement strategies that reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for all New Mexicans. Includes information and statistics specific to New Mexico's rural regions.
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Department of Health
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Access to Care: Health Centers and Providers in Underserved Communities
Recording of a January 29, 2019, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing on the importance of community health centers and National Health Service Corps providers in helping to address issues of access to primary care for rural and urban underserved communities.
Additional links: Andrea Anderson Testimony, Dennis Freeman, Cherokee Health Systems Testimony, John B. Waits, Cahaba Medical Care FQHC Testimony
Date: 01/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Medicaid in the Territories: Program Features, Challenges, and Changes
Issue brief examining key issues and trends in the Medicaid program for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa, using findings drawn from a budget survey and interviews with Medicaid officials. Focuses on Medicaid financing, eligibility and enrollment, benefits, provider access and delivery systems, and the changes from fiscal years 2017 to 2019. Features statistics including Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program enrollment as of July 2016, and Medicaid funding and spending in these territories as of fiscal year 2017.
Author(s): Cornelia Hall, Robin Rudowitz, Kathleen Gifford
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Understanding the Many Roles of COPD Foundation State Captains: Q&A with John Linnell
An interview with John Linnell, a rural COPD Foundation State Captain, who talks about COPD and how he and other Captains can be partners in efforts to impact the disease.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Strengthening Healthcare Along the Gulf Coast: The Gulf Region Health Outreach Program's Primary Care Capacity Project
Reports on the Primary Care Capacity Project, which expanded primary care access to Gulf Coast counties through community health centers as part of the Deepwater Horizon settlement. Addresses initiatives targeting expanded access for rural areas, a pilot Community-Centered Health Home (CCHH) model intended to address social determinants of health through community collaborations, and more.
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Louisiana Public Health Institute
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To Oversee or Not to Oversee? Lessons from the Repeal of North Carolina's Certificate of Public Advantage Law
Describes North Carolina's experience with its Certificate of Public Advantage (COPA) statute, which provided the state oversight on hospital mergers that could support continued access to care, particularly in rural areas. Focuses on the impact of the statute's repeal. Compares differences in North Carolina's COPA to Tennessee and Virginia's COPA laws, discussing the implications for rural populations.
Author(s): Erin C. Fuse Brown
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Access to Rural Maternity Care
Policy paper describing obstetric care for rural women in the U.S. Covers challenges to providing access to rural maternity care, such as healthcare quality, birth outcomes, workforce shortages, access, and financial challenges. Includes discussion on policy alternatives and considerations to address workforce issues, barriers to practicing obstetrics in rural areas, and increasing access to maternity care services.
Author(s): Britta Anderson, Adam Gingery, Maeve McClellan, et al.
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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