Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Dental Access in Rural Maryland: Innovative Approaches to Care
Details a report on dental healthcare access in Maryland. Discusses statewide strategies and highlights 5 rural community organizations working to improve access to care.
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maryland Rural Health Association
view details
National Disability Policy: A Progress Report
Reports on the state of disability policy in key areas, examining the intersection between disability and poverty. Focuses on education, employment, financial assistance and incentives, healthcare, long-term services and supports, transportation, and housing, as factors enhancing economic independence among people with disabilities. Includes sections on barriers related to finding transportation and appropriate housing in rural areas.
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Council on Disability
view details
Opioid Use Disorders: HHS Needs Measures to Assess the Effectiveness of Efforts to Expand Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment
Reviews U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) efforts to expand access to and the use of medication assisted treatment (MAT) for treating opioid use disorders. Includes a discussion of rural-specific programs and makes recommendations for improving future efforts and overall program evaluation.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Disparities in Preventive Dental Care Among Children in Georgia
Examines access to preventive dental care between low-income children eligible for public dental insurance compared to children with private dental insurance and/or a high family income in Georgia. Assesses the effects of policies toward increasing access to dental care for low-income children. Includes a map illustrating the percent of children with financial access to preventive dental care for each county.
Author(s): Shanshan Cao, Monica Gentili, Paul M. Griffin, Susan O. Griffin, Nicoleta Serban
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 14
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
view details
Maryland Food Charter: A Roadmap to a Healthy and Sustainable Food System
Details the values, goals, and recommendations of food system stakeholders throughout Maryland and encourages coordination and collaboration for a healthy, equitable, economically and environmentally sustainable food system. Includes recommendations for the five major food system sectors: production and processing, distribution, access, consumption, and recovery.
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The Institute for Public Health Innovation
view details
Mountain-Pacific Quality Health Pilot: Closing the Gaps in Rural Complex Care
Profiles Mountain-Pacific Quality Health, a nonprofit corporation that established a pilot program to improve the health of rural patients through the use of technology and interdisciplinary care teams working together in Montana's Flathead Valley. Describes a $1 million innovation award from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to support their use of ReSource Teams and help care for high-cost, high-need Medicare patients in the region.
Additional links: Case Study: Shared Military Background Helps Community Health Workers Connect with Patients in Rural Montana
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
view details
Veterans Health Administration: Better Data and Evaluation Could Help Improve Physician Staffing, Recruitment, and Retention Strategies
Reviews the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) recruitment and retention strategies, specifically for VHA physicians working in the five areas identified as mission-critical: primary care, mental health, gastroenterology, orthopedic surgery, and emergency medicine. Presents information on how many VHA physicians provide care, the extent VHA measures physician workload and productivity, and how current recruitment and retention strategies are evaluated. Addresses rural shortages and makes recommendations for improving VHA workforce development and planning based on interviews with VHA officials and a review of VHA documentation.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Implementing Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Primary Care: Environmental Scan Volume 1
Details challenges and barriers to implementing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) in a primary care setting, such as healthcare policy, workforce, and financing, among others. Includes 250 tools and resources to help overcome barriers and support implementation MAT in rural areas.
Additional links: Volume 2: Tools and Resources
Author(s): Garrett E. Moran, Caroline M. Snyder, Rebecca F. Noftsinger, Joshua K. Noda
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
view details
The Federal Response to the Opioid Crisis
Presents the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) hearing on the government's response on the opioid crisis. Includes testimonies from SAMHSA, CDC, NIH, and the FDA regarding current efforts to increase access to treatment for opioid addiction and promote preventative measures across the U.S.
Additional links: Written Testimony
Date: 10/2017
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
view details
2016 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report: Chartbook on Rural Health Care
Summarizes trends in healthcare quality and disparities for rural populations. Includes quality measures for access to healthcare, patient safety, person- and family-centered care, care coordination, affordability, healthy living, and effective treatment.
Author(s): Barbara Barton, Irim Azam
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
view details