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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Closure of Labor & Delivery Units in Rural Counties Is Associated with Reduced Adequacy of Prenatal Care, Even When Prenatal Care Remains Available
Examines adequacy of prenatal care following the closure of labor and delivery units in rural Iowa counties using birth certificate information from 47 rural counties between 2017 and 2019. Compares rural counties with a closure to those without a closure. Examines the difference in impact for Medicaid and non-Medicaid patients, age, race and ethnicity, educational attainment, and more.
Author(s): Stephanie M. Radke, Laurel Smiens, Kelly K. Ryckman, Thomas S. Gruca
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(4), 746-755
Date: 2023
Type: Document
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Common Problems, Common Solutions: Looking Across Sectors at Strategies for Supporting Rural Youth and Families Tool-Kit
Provides an overview of barriers faced by rural communities in supporting youth and families, and innovative strategies to improve outcomes for youth, families, and communities. Informed by interviews and listening sessions with practitioners and leaders working in rural areas across the United States.
Author(s): Lisa Pilnik, Christine Humowitz
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Georgetown University Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, U.S. Department of Justice
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Early Interventions for Psychosis - First Episodes and High Risk Populations: Proceedings of a Workshop
Highlights the proceedings of a 2022 workshop hosted by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and discusses how early interventions can improve outcomes for those who are as high risk of behavioral health issues. Details the challenges rurality can present to providers and patients.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Forum on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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5-Year Strategic Plan: How Primary Care Investments Can Increase Access, Improve Quality, Lower Costs, Promote Health Equity & Address Workforce Needs
Details the New Mexico strategic plan to improve primary care by increasing access, improving healthcare quality, implementing financing reforms, promoting workforce sustainability, and integrating behavioral health into primary care. Discusses issues disproportionately represented in rural and frontier areas and provides county-level maps depicting social vulnerability and Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) recipients. Provides models and best practices in primary care with examples specific to rural areas.
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Primary Care Council
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Disparities in Access to Radiation Therapy by Race and Ethnicity in the United States With Focus on American Indian/Alaska Native People
Explores access to radiation therapy American Indian and Alaska Native people across the U.S. Explores travel distances to receive radiation therapy for AI/AN majority and non-AI/AN majority groups. Breaks down data by Indian Health Service region.
Author(s): Solmaz Amiri, Matthew D. Greer, Clemma J. Muller, et al.
Citation: Value in Health, 25(12), 1929-1938
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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2021 U.S. Rural Health Report Card
Provides individualized rural health rankings and grades for U.S. states and includes final average rankings for U.S. Census regional divisions. Offers explanations behind each state's overall score, including measures related to mortality, quality of life, and access to care. Covers rural/urban comparisons for age-adjusted mortality rates.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Personal Care Assistance in Rural America
Discusses Personal Care Aide (PCA) scarcity in rural areas using 2013-2017 American Community Survey data. Presents maps and graphs of self-care disability prevalence and PCA availability with breakdowns by region. Also provides graphs comparing rural and urban PCA demographics, including poverty rate, race, educational attainment, sex, age, language spoken at home, and U.S. or foreign place of birth.
Author(s): Lillie Greiman, Rayna A Sage, Timothy Bates, et al.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Website
Sponsoring organizations: Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities, University of California San Francisco Health Workforce Research Center (UCSF HWRC)
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Rural Hospital Stabilization Grant Program Phase 6 Program Report
Provides an overview of the Rural Hospital Stabilization Grant Program for rural Georgia hospitals. Describes projects funded in fiscal year 2021 as part of Phase Six of the program and how funds were used to meet program goals.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Georgia State Office of Rural Health
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Private Health Insurance: State and Federal Oversight of Provider Networks Varies
Describes oversight responsibilities for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, the Department of Labor, and state governments for ensuring adequate private health insurance plans and provider networks. Examines processes for determining adequacy through surveys and interviews with stakeholders from state agencies and medical association groups as well as a review of relevant laws and regulations. Outlines factors for inadequacy including health workforce shortages and distance from in-network services in rural areas.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Exploring Remaining Needs and Opportunities for Improvement in Rural Communities: A Focus on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Programs
Provides an overview of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Presents findings from interviews with TANF program staff and partner organizations regarding delivering TANF services in rural communities. Identifies rural areas with remaining need for TANF cash assistance and Tribal TANF services. Offers providers' lessons learned and recommendations to help inform policy and service delivery moving forward.
Author(s): Emma Ward, Neel Chakraborti, Emily Brimsek, James Murdoch, Heather Hahn
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families, Urban Institute
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