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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

How Emergency Departments Are Responding to the Opioid Crisis: Results from a Statewide Survey in Kentucky
Examines hospital emergency departments (EDs) in Kentucky and their substance use disorder (SUD) services. Utilizes 2023 survey data from ED directors and discusses themes such as use of buprenorphine, referrals to community providers, social work services, screening processes, care continuity and more. Includes feedback about access to and availability of SUD services in rural areas.
Author(s): Olivia K. Sugarman, Samantha J. Harris, Lauren Byrne, et al.
Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 19, 78
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
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Community Responses and Adaptations Following the Closure of a Rural Pharmacy and Primary Care Facility
Uses interviews with 26 community members to identify the impact of a pharmacy and primary healthcare facility closure in a rural Pennsylvania community. Discusses challenges for vulnerable populations, distance to care, social networks, delayed treatment, emergency medical services, alternative medicine, and more.
Author(s): Hazel Velasco Palacios, Kristina Brant, Danielle Rhubart, Jorden Jackson
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 2024
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
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New Mexico State Health Assessment, 2024
Assesses the health status of New Mexicans, identifies health needs and priorities, and details actions and strategies supporting public health in New Mexico. Highlights rural and tribal health and access disparities for select topics, including COVID-19, missing and murdered indigenous people, geographic access to healthcare and other services, and more.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Department of Health
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Impacts of Telehealth on Rural Health Care Access
Policy brief highlighting the significance and effectiveness of telehealth. Includes analysis of current telehealth policies for Medicaid, Medicare, and private payors, and examines COVID-19 impacts on telehealth. Offers policy recommendations to enhance adoption and efficacy of telehealth services, particularly in rural areas.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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High-Risk Rural Surgical Patients and Poor Access to Elective Colorectal Cancer Surgery: Insight for Multilevel Intervention for Rural America
Examines factors associated with poor access to elective colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery for rural patients, utilizing 2007-2020 National Inpatient Sample data for 69,212 CRC surgery-related hospitalizations. Breaks down data by race and ethnicity, sex, age, insurance type, region, rural or urban facility, and other demographic, clinical, and facility factors. Discusses access barriers and health disparities experienced by rural populations.
Author(s): Yanick Tadé, Jillian Timperley, Danielle Dilsaver, et al.
Citation: Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, 28(11), 1883-1889
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
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Growing the Rural Physician Workforce: Decades of Federal Funding Impacts Rural Graduate Medical Education
A historical review of graduate medical education funding and its relationship to the supply of rural physicians. Highlights recent federal funding and policies aimed at addressing the geographic maldistribution of physicians.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Preserving Rural Health Care: The Impact of Site-Neutral Payments
Policy brief describing the role off-campus hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) play in providing essential healthcare services in rural communities. Discusses the potential impacts of site-neutral payment policies on the financial stability of rural Medicare-Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-Volume Hospital (LVH) off-campus HOPDs and access to care in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to address the impacts of site-neutral payments on rural hospitals.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Expanding Telehealth Services and Access for Successful Maternal Care
A podcast episode that discusses maternal telehealth in Minnesota and telehealth programs that focus on reaching rural parts of the state. Features a conversation with Dr. Chris DeRienzo, podcast host, and Dr. Johnna Nynas, a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) at Sanford Health Bemidji.
Author(s): Tom Haederle, Chris DeRienzo
Date: 11/2024
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Reach, Adoption, Implementation, and Sustainability of the Mobile Health for Migrant Health (mHealth-4-Mhealth) Program: Nebraska, 2022‒2023
Assesses a mobile COVID-19 screening and resource sharing program for rural migrant families in Nebraska. Discusses the program's attempt to overcome barriers to healthcare for rural residents and migrants in those rural communities.
Author(s): Russell J. McCulloh, Ellen Kerns, Chad Abresch, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 114(11), 1212-1216
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
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Rural Health Care in Minnesota: Data Highlights
Provides an overview of the health and demographic profile of rural Minnesota. Includes sections on the rural healthcare system, workforce, service availability, financing, and more. Includes county-level maps, rural versus urban data comparisons, and graphs that depict rural health information.
Additional links: Data Sources
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health
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