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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

The 2014 Update of the Rural-Urban Chartbook
Updates information presented in Health, United States, 2001: With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Highlights current trends and disparities across different levels of metro and nonmetropolitan counties, including population characteristics; health-related behaviors and risk factors; mortality rates; healthcare access and use; mental health measures; and other health measures such as teen birth rates, tooth loss, and activity limitations due to chronic disease. Individual data tables are available in an Excel file.
Author(s): Michael Meit, Alana Knudson, Tess Gilbert, et al.
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
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Rural Border Health Chartbook II
Presents an analysis of border counties, both urban and rural, by comparing these counties to other counties within the four border states, and to rural and urban counties in the rest of the U.S. Provides county-level rates and statistics for sociodemographic factors, the physical environment, access to care, and health outcomes.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Author(s): Grishma P. Bhavsar, Amy Brock Martin, Janice C. Probst, et al.
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Health Care for a High-Tech World: The Potential for Telehealth in Colorado
Describes the importance of telehealth in meeting the changing healthcare needs of Colorado residents in rural and urban areas of the state.
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Health Institute
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Geographic Variation in Plan Uptake in the Federally Facilitated Marketplace
Combines data on health insurance plan selection in the federally facilitated marketplaces with estimates of people likely to qualify for the marketplace in order to calculate the percent of eligible people who chose a health insurance plan. Includes a heat map that illustrates which U.S. regions had the highest and lowest plan selection rates. Discusses differences for rural areas.
Author(s): Mark Holmes, Pam Silberman, Kristie Thompson, Victoria Freeman, Randy K. Randolph
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Translating and Testing the ENABLE: CHF-PC Concurrent Palliative Care Model for Older Adults with Heart Failure and Their Family Caregivers
Reports on an evaluation study to determine the feasibility and satisfaction of converting a cancer-focused concurrent palliative care (PC) intervention into early PC for rural patients with a diagnosis of heart failure.
Author(s): J. Nicholas Dionne-Odom, Alan Kono, Jennifer Frost, et al.
Citation: Journal of Palliative Medicine, 17(9), 995-1004
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
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The Role of Physician Assistants in Health Care Delivery
Describes the role of physician assistants (PAs) in the U.S. healthcare system with information related to state regulations, PA education, scope of practice, and their importance in rural healthcare facilities. Also provides policy recommendations to help states attract, retain, and realize the value of PAs within their healthcare system.
Author(s): Amanda Dunker, Esther Krofah, Frederick Isasi
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Governors Association
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Rural Parents' Perceived Stigma of Seeking Mental Health Services for Their Children: Development and Evaluation of a New Instrument
Discusses the effectiveness of a research tool to measure perceptions of stigma by parents living in rural Appalachia regarding the provision of mental health services for children with psychosocial issues.
Author(s): Stacey L. Williams, Jodi Polaha
Citation: Psychological Assessment, 26(3), 763-773
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
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Trends in Medical Oncology Outreach Clinics in Rural Areas
Discusses the participation rate by oncologists in medical oncology outreach in rural Iowa. Analyzes the growth in the number of communities served and the number of clinic days between 1989 – 2011.
Author(s): Thomas S. Gruca, Inwoo Nam, Roger Tracy
Citation: Journal of Oncology Practice, 10(5)
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
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Using Community Advisory Boards to Reduce Environmental Barriers to Health in American Indian Communities, Wisconsin, 2007-2012
Describes a project in which community advisory boards (CABs) were established by residents of the Menominee, Lac du Flambeau, and Bad River rural tribal communities and university partners, for the purpose of eliminating barriers to healthy nutrition and physical activity and fostering improvement in overall community health.
Author(s): Alexandra K. Adams, Jamie R. Scott, Ron Prince, Amy Williamson
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 11
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
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Reach for More: Healthier Beverage Vending for Government Agencies in Rural Settings
Provides an overview of obesity rates in rural California counties and discusses how ensuring access to affordable, healthy beverages is an obesity prevention strategy. Discusses the steps and relationships to help establish policies to decrease sugary beverages sold in vending machines in public places.
Author(s): Quang "Q" Dang, Karla Hampton
Date: 08/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: ChangeLab Solutions
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