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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

VA Health Care: Office of Rural Health Efforts and Recommendations for Improvement
Presents an evaluation of the Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health (ORH). Discusses the methods the ORH uses to improve healthcare quality and access for rural veterans, such as initiatives to expand VHA services to rural veterans and funding research to improve the healthcare quality in rural areas. Evaluates the ORH's efforts and makes recommendations for improvement.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Community-Acquired Staphylococcus Aureus Skin and Soft Tissue Infection Risk Assessment Using Hotspot Analysis and Risk Maps: The Case of California Emergency Departments
Using California emergency department data between 2016 and 2019, evaluates the association between risk for Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections with various neighborhood characteristics such as population, poverty, and healthcare access shortage measures. Discusses rural disparities.
Author(s): Brittany L. Morgan Bustamante, Laura Fejerman, Larissa May, Beatriz Martínez-Lopéz
Citation: BMC Public Health, 24, 123
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
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Tennessee Uninsured Adult Healthcare Safety Net: 2023 Annual Report
Reports on Tennessee's uninsured population, state safety net funding, and services provided in 2023. Describes and lists safety net service locations, including community and faith-based clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and more. Provides county-by-county data on primary, oral, and specialty care population-to-provider ratios, and includes county-level maps identifying Health Resource Shortage Areas. Highlights issues affecting rural Tennessee throughout, including adequacy of healthcare and access to services.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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Telehealth Expansion, Internet Speed, and Primary Care Access Before and During COVID-19
Analyzes changes in primary care telehealth access among 172,387 Wisconsin Medicaid beneficiaries before and during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Covers the period June 2019 to December 2021, with data on telehealth visit count, telehealth share of visits, and PHE-induced decline in visits offset by telehealth. Assesses change in access over time by demographic characteristics, rural-urban dwelling, access to high speed internet, and health status.
Author(s): Alyssa Shell Tilhou, Arjun Jain, Thomas DeLeire
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(1), e2347686
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
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County-Level Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates on Colorectal Cancer Survival in the State of Georgia: Does County-Level Rurality Matter?
Evaluates 5-year colorectal cancer (CRC) survival rates in Georgia by county-level rurality and CRC screening rate, utilizing 2004-2010 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program data. Discusses rural-urban CRC mortality disparities, and describes the influence of CRC screening on mortality.
Author(s): Meng-Han Tsai, Steven S. Coughlin, Jorge Cortes
Citation: Cancer Medicine, 13(1)
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
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Implementation of a Mobile Health Clinic Framework for Hepatitis C Virus Screening and Treatment: A Descriptive Study
Examines the effectiveness of utilizing mobile health clinics (MHC) for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) treatment in underserved areas. Analyzes HCV screening and treatment rates of an MHC program initiated by Clemson Rural Health in South Carolina and discusses the impact of MHCs to provide healthcare access in rural and underserved areas.
Author(s): Lior Rennert, Kerry A. Howard, Caitlin M. Kickham, et al.
Citation: The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, 29
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
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The Great Misalignment: Addressing the Mismatch between the Supply of Certificates and Associate's Degrees and the Future Demand for Workers in 565 US Labor Markets
Examines the degree to which providers of middle-skills programs are awarding credentials in fields that align with local workforce needs. Features a data tool with county-level metrics and a report with information comparing credentials-to-jobs alignment in urban and rural labor markets, with breakdowns by occupational fields including healthcare.
Author(s): Jeff Strohl, Zachary Mabel, Kathryn Peltier Campbell
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
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The Task Force on Maternal Mental Health's Report to Congress
A report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on maternal mental health including barriers to care, federal programs doing relevant work, identifying best practices, and offering suggestions to improve federal infrastructure. Topics discussed include substance use, mortality, social determinants of health, data gathering, community engagement, telehealth, screening, violence, policy, access to care, stigma, and more. Highlights programs across the country addressing maternal mental health issues including some in rural areas. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Kentucky Demographics, Analytics, Trends and Access (K-DATA) 2024
Reports on health and population in Kentucky. Includes coverage of state demographics, social determinants of health, healthcare workforce supply and distribution, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), access to care, facilities, public health programs, nutrition, youth, people with disabilities, substance use disorder, cancer, diabetes, and characteristics of Kentucky's rural, urban, Delta, and Appalachian regions.
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health
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Identifying Our Needs: A Survey of Elders Cycle VIII (2020-2023) - 2024 Final Report
Report highlights data collected from a survey of American Indian and Alaska Native elders regarding their health and wellness. Explores reported rates of healthcare access, substance use, social support, housing, healthcare screening, and more.
Additional links: Infographic: Caregiving and Socialization Among Native Elders, Infographic: Frailty and Physical Functioning Among Native Elders, Infographic: Native Elders in the United States, Infographic: Nutrition Among Native Elders
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Resource Center on Native American Aging
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