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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

New England Health System CEOs Address Rural Healthcare Crisis In A Live Conversation
Recording of a May 22, 2023, roundtable discussion with the chief executive officers (CEOs) of Dartmouth Health, MaineHealth, and the University of Vermont Health Network regarding the challenges rural healthcare providers face. Covers workforce challenges, regulatory and inflation challenges, and innovations to preserve access to care. Transcript is available in the video description.
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Dartmouth Health
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Ambulance Deserts: Geographic Disparities in the Provision of Ambulance Services
Chartbook presenting data on ambulance deserts from 41 states in 2021-2022, and identifying places and people that are more than 25 minutes from an ambulance station. Include maps of ambulance desert locations and health care facility locations for every state with available data, and documents coverage gaps in the provision of ambulance services across geographic areas across the United States.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Carly Milkowski, Zachariah Croll, Karen Pearson
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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State Medicaid and Private Telemedicine Coverage Requirements and Telemedicine Use, 2013–2019
Examines the association between state Medicaid and private telemedicine coverage requirements and live video-based telemedicine use by analyzing nationally representative survey data from the 2013–2019 Association of American Medical Colleges Consumer Survey of Health Care Access. Evaluates the impact of these requirements by rurality. Explores whether telemedicine coverage requirements were associated with healthcare access.
Author(s): Brandy J. Lipton, Michael F. Pesko
Citation: Health Services Research, 2023
Date: 05/2023
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Comparing Public Transportation Services for Rural States in the Upper Midwest and Great Plains Region
Analyzes the availability of public transportation in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Minnesota by comparing the availability of rural transit and urban transit services in these states. Includes county-level maps showing level of transportation services by days and hours available, rural trips per capita, and rural vehicle revenue miles (VRM) per capita. Provides a list of rural, tribal, and urban transit agencies by state, including those servicing medical trips.
Author(s): Jeremy Mattson, Bright Quayson, Zhila Dehdari Ebrahimi
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
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Understanding the U.S. Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage
Discusses the shortage of behavioral health professionals across the country and highlights some of the contributing factors. Breaks down factors affecting licensed providers, clinical supporters, community care workers, and frontline workers. Makes recommendations for policymakers and includes considerations for rural areas.
Author(s): Nathaniel Counts
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Accountable Health Communities (AHC) Model Evaluation: Second Evaluation Report
Provides an overview of the Accountable Health Communities (ACH) Model, which tests whether identifying and addressing core health-related social needs (HRSNs) of community-dwelling beneficiaries improves health outcomes, reduces healthcare costs, and reduces unnecessary healthcare utilization. Explores the context in which the AHC Model was implemented and the model's impacts on Medicaid, FFS Medicare, and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries. Presents information on participating organizations that had rural areas within their geographic target areas (GTAs) and compares outcomes among urban and rural participants.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Association of Rural Living With COPD-Related Hospitalizations and Deaths in US Veterans
Highlights a study aiming to identify the cause of higher COPD rates in rural areas. Utilizes VA data to draw conclusions about incidence and access to treatment for COPD for rural veterans. Breaks down data by age, comorbidities, and rurality, among other factors.
Author(s): Spyridon Fortis, Yubo Gao, Arianne K. Baldomero, et al.
Citation: Scientific Reports, 13, 7887
Date: 05/2023
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Oregon's Child Care Deserts 2022: Mapping Supply by Age Group and Percentage of Publicly Funded Slots
Report explores child care access in Oregon. Highlights counties classified as "child care deserts" across the state. Details the different availability of child care for different age groups and depicts that data on county-level maps.
Additional links: Infographic
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Oregon State University College of Public Health and Human Sciences
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Addressing Food Insecurity in Rural Tennessee
A podcast that discusses local hospitals in rural Hardeman County, Tennessee that collaborated to improve access to healthy food for citizens who were experiencing food insecurity and a lack of transportation to grocery stores. Includes information on a community health needs assessment, data exploration, obesity rates, use of grant funds to address health and wellness, and more.
Author(s): Tom Haederle, John Supplitt, Ruby Kirby
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Behavioral Health Conditions Reach Crisis Levels: Counties Urge Stronger Intergovernmental Partnerships and Outcomes
Features a number of counties throughout the nation and details their behavioral health needs and access challenges. Presents each county as a case study. Describes the policy priorities for each county and the barriers to access. Several of the featured counties are rural.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
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