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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

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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Improving Health Care Access in Rural Communities: Obstacles and Opportunities
Presents the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Health Care hearing on improving access to high-quality, affordable healthcare in rural communities. Discusses workforce issues, education pipeline, transportation, broadband, school-based health centers, payment models and value-based care, and rural-friendly policies. Features testimonies from representatives of Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital, Choptank Community Health System, Essentia Health, and the Sheps Center For Health Services Research.
Additional links: Testimony by David Herman, Testimony by Erin Aune, Testimony by Mark Holmes, Testimony by Sara Rich
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Health Care
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Health Care Capsule: Accessing Health Care in Rural America
Discusses challenges rural communities face related to healthcare access, such as limited healthcare providers, travel distance and transportation issues, insurance coverage, and access to broadband. Provides policy recommendations from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to address rural healthcare disparities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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2022 Transportation Trends
Identifies trends and issues affecting the availability of accessible transportation for older adults and people with disabilities. Summarizes results of a September 2022 survey of public transit and human services transportation providers; stakeholders; and aging and disability organizations such as Area Agencies on Aging, Centers for Independent Living and Aging and Disability Resource Centers. Discusses nine themes related to the challenges of providing transportation to older adults, younger adults with disabilities, and caregivers, including the lack of transportation options in rural areas.
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
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Health Conditions and Health Care Use Among American Indian and Alaska Native Adults by Tribal Land Residential Status: United States, 2019–2021
Examines chronic disease, healthcare access to basic services such as vaccinations, and mental health among American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) from 2019-2021 National Health Interview Survey data, with comparisons between living on or off tribal lands.
Author(s): Amanda E. Ng, Dzifa Adjaye-Gbewonyo, Anjel Vahratian
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Barriers to Mental Health Care: Improving Provider Directory Accuracy to Reduce the Prevalence of Ghost Networks
Recording of a May 3, 2023, hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance regarding inaccurate healthcare provider directories that impede access to mental healthcare. Features testimony from Robert L. Trestman, Professor and Chair of Behavioral Medicine at the Carilion Clinic and Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, on access to care in rural Virginia.
Additional links: Robert L. Trestman, American Psychiatric Association - Testimony
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance
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Map the Meal Gap 2023: A Report on County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2021
Provides information on food insecurity in the United States, focusing on how race and ethnicity impact access to food. Includes county-level U.S. maps that show food insecurity by race and ethnicity as well as impacts for children and the overall U.S. population. Includes discussions about food insecurity in rural counties.
Additional links: Technical Appendix
Author(s): Monica Hake, Emily Engelhard, Adam Dewey
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Feeding America
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Access to Maternity Providers: Midwives and Birth Centers
Provides an overview of the role of certified nurse-midwives and birth centers in Medicaid and how beneficiaries use these services. Describes policy issues and barriers to expanding access to midwives and birth centers, including payment policies; contracting with managed care organizations; licensure, certification, and accreditation; scope of practice; and limited supply. Includes rural considerations throughout.
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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