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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Health Equity: A Native American Perspective
Discusses health equity from a Native American perspective. Highlights a model of equity that goes beyond overcoming barriers around access and incorporates cultural knowledge, spiritual well-being, and community involvement, among other factors.
Author(s): John Lowe
Citation: Milbank Quarterly
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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A Community-Engaged Approach to Understanding Suicide in a Small Rural County in Georgia: A Two-Phase Content Analysis of Individual and Focus Group Interviews
Evaluates the need for suicide prevention and appropriateness of prevention efforts in a rural Georgia county by presenting analysis of 20 individual interviews and 2 focus groups conducted August 2021-June 2022. Covers individual and community contextual drivers of suicide, facilitators and barriers of medical and social support access, linkage gaps in mental health care services, and community response. Discusses schools, a military base, nonprofit and religious organizations, and other institutional supports for suicide prevention.
Author(s): Kimberly Beth Roth, Eleni Gaveras, Fatima Ghiathi, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(24), 7145
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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Resources on Rides for Employment for Older Adults and People with Disabilities
Describes differences in transportation accessibility for older adults and people with disabilities based on resources available in particular communities. Provides resources and example programs focused on improving transportation options in rural areas.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
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Confronting Workforce Shortages and Health Worker Well-Being
Six videos addressing the impact of healthcare worker shortages and how those shortages affect individual well-being and the ability to provide care in rural communities. Includes a keynote presentation by the Chief Medical Officer of the Indian Health Service. Transcripts available under the descriptions of the videos.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Academy of Medicine
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Use of Primary Care and Emergency Departments for Substance Use Treatment: The Rural and Urban Divide
Explores the use of primary care and emergency departments for substance use treatment in rural and urban areas. Draws from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2015-2019 and breaks down data by age, race, and rurality, among other measures.
Author(s): Nathaniel Albright, Christina Dyar, Ethan Morgan
Citation: Substance Use & Misuse, 59(2), 300-305
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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Changes in Perceptions of First Responders after Witnessing a Drug Overdose: Individual and Contextual Variations among People Who Use Opioids in West Virginia
Evaluates changes in attitude toward first responders among people who witnessed an overdose and stayed until first responders arrived. Utilizes interview data from 50 nonmedical users of prescription opioids from 3 rural Appalachian West Virginia counties. Identifies personal and contextual factors associated with changed perceptions of first responders.
Author(s): Kathleen L. Egan, Kelly Gurka, Alexandria Macmadu, Herb Linn
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 5(3), 22-37
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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Virginia Oral Health Workforce Gap Assessment
Report describing challenges in ensuring that all Virginians have equitable access oral healthcare, and offering an actionable framework for addressing them. Features statistics on the Virginia oral healthcare workforce, including numbers of dentists and dental hygienists, numbers of dentists treating Medicaid patients by year from 2012-2022, and a map showing dental Health Professional Shortage Areas. Includes information about the Virginia state loan repayment program for eligible providers.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Health Catalyst
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Impacts of Transit on Health in Rural and Small Urban Areas
Overview of how public transportation affects health in rural and small urban areas. Summarizes findings from a literature review that looked at public transportation as it relates to the social determinants of health, healthcare access, physical activity, social isolation, and mental health. Also reports results from a survey of rural older adults supplemented by data analysis looking at travel for healthcare, challenges related to public transportation, and the impacts of missed or delayed healthcare trips.
Author(s): Jeremy Mattson, Bright Quayson
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
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Breast Cancer Disparity and Outcomes in Underserved Women
Provides an overview of breast cancer disparities experienced by underserved and vulnerable women. Discusses racial and ethnic groups, gender minority population, and rural population, and highlights the significance of social determinants of health. Describes strategies to mitigate disparities and improve access, including education and engagement, community health workers, mobile mammography, and care coordination.
Author(s): B Bersu Ozcan, Başak E. Dogan, Ann R. Mootz, et al.
Citation: RadioGraphics, 44(1), 230090
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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High-Risk Individuals and Naloxone Use: Implications for THN Programs in Rural Appalachian Communities
Presents thematic analysis of factors influencing opioid overdose and naloxone use from interviews with 16 people who use opioid drugs in 4 rural, Appalachian Pennsylvania counties. Identifies opioid overdose risk factors, including substance use habits, as well as factors facilitating or preventing effective naloxone interventions. Covers naloxone access and knowledge, experiences, attitudes toward first responders, and disconnects between naloxone intervention and opioid dependence treatment.
Author(s): Victor Garcia, Lisa McCann, Erick Lauber, et al.
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 5(3), 9-21
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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