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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Eye Health Needs: Preserving the Eyesight of Rural Populations
Explains the importance of vision care in health and describes how rural vision care can be improved to increase quality of life and prevent disability in rural patients. Features a rural Federally Qualified Health Center that has added eye care to its services and a vision van that provides care in underserved areas.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural Health Care Access: Research Report
Summarizes rural health priorities for rural and Appalachian counties to assist local public health departments in Ohio with the public health accreditation process. Provides information on access to healthcare services in rural and Appalachian counties and covers strategies to improve access to care.
Author(s): Michele Morrone, Cory Cronin, Shannon Nicks, Kristin Schuller
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: The Appalachian Institute to Advance Health Equity Science
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The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (P.L.115-271): Medicare Provisions
Provides a section-by-section description of Medicare provisions in the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act). Addresses rural in two sections: Section 6083 seeks to expand access to addiction treatment in Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics by paying for training costs to obtain a DATA waiver to furnish OUD treatment; Section 6042 authorizes a demonstration project testing expanded access to MAT drugs through teams with a primary care provider.
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Access to Care among Rural Veterans
A brief that discusses health disparities and access challenges for rural veterans. Includes chart showing rural versus urban prevalence of chronic health conditions.
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration
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Dialysis Transportation: The Intersection of Transportation and Healthcare
Report details the importance of having access to reliable transportation for dialysis patients. Discusses how a lack of reliable transportation affects dialysis patients' access to treatment and quality of life. Highlights challenges faced by rural patients.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Elizabeth Ellis, Sue Knapp, Jason Quan, et al.
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organizations: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Transportation Research Board
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Developing the Tribal Resource Guide and the Poverty and Culture Training: The We RISE (Raising Income, Supporting Education) Study
Details a study examining the social determinants of health for American Indians (AIs) in rural South Dakota. Collects data and resources with the aim of producing a resource guide for young AI mothers, as well as provide training for community programs that serve AI communities.
Author(s): Rae O'Leary, Lacey A. McCormack, Corrine Huber, et al.
Citation: American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 26(2), 134-150
Date: 2019
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Rural Hospital Closures and the Fifth District
Discusses reasons for rural hospital closures as well as the resulting consequences on communities, including decreased healthcare access, loss of jobs, and more. Emphasizes hospital closures in the Fifth Federal Reserve District and provides recommendations to policymakers and government leaders.
Author(s): Emily Wavering Corcoran, Sonya Ravindranath Waddell
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
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Tribal Opioid Response: Healing Our Nations Together - National Strategic Agenda
Addresses the tribal opioid epidemic, with recommendations based on input from tribal policymakers, service providers, and community members. Offers insights from experts, feedback from people with opioid use disorder, and tips for creating a plan to collect and analyze opioid data from local communities.
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organizations: National Indian Health Board, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board
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Georgia House of Representatives Study Committee on Maternal Mortality
Provides an overview of issues related to maternal health, prenatal care, and postnatal care in Georgia. Compares mortality rates for rural and urban Georgia women, and discusses shortages of prenatal care, obstetric services, and postpartum care in rural Georgia communities. Features statistics on leading causes of pregnancy-related death in Georgia, percentage of these deaths determined to be preventable, and timing of deaths in relation to pregnancy.
Author(s): Sharon Cooper, Mark Newton, Chuck Efstration, et al.
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: Georgia House of Representatives Budget & Research Office
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A Holistic Definition of Healthy Traditional Harvest Practices for Rural Indigenous Communities in Interior Alaska
Explores the ways in which sharing of wild resources is important for food security, wellness, and cultural identity in Indigenous Alaska communities. Discusses how environmental changes are affecting Alaskans' way of life and challenging access to foods needed for nutrition and cultural preservation.
Author(s): Krista M. Heeringa, Orville Huntington, Brooke Woods, et al.
Citation: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 9(2, Suppl. 2), 115–129.
Date: 2019
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