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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community and economic development

The Action Report: Kansas Power Up & Go
Explores strategies to retain young people and families in rural Kansas. Discusses issues such as child care, housing, broadband, employment with health insurance packages, career opportunities and economic development, cultural sensitivity, and more.
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Kansas Office Of Rural Prosperity, The Kansas Sampler Foundation
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Three Simple Ways for Funders to Make Their Rural Work Authentic
Blog post describing ways that foundations can improve rural philanthropy, highlighting the importance of hiring rural staff, working with firms that have rural experience, and employing a rural equity lens in day-to-day operations.
Author(s): Allen Smart
Date: 07/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Family Philanthropy
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Broadband Task Force: High-Speed Internet is Essential for All Counties
Offers policy recommendations and best practices related to broadband infrastructure, including expansion into rural areas. Discusses broadband technology, community partnerships, and policy considerations. Presents case studies of county-level initiatives and a list of broadband solutions by county in the appendix.
Date: 07/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
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Crosscutting Environmental Risk with Design: A Multi-site, Multi-city Socioecological Approach for Iowa's Diversifying Small Towns
Examines the intersection of built environments and environmental design with factors exacerbating health disparities in 3 small Iowa towns. Discusses how study results may be used by small towns to prioritize investments in built environments for vulnerable populations.
Author(s): Benjamin Shirtcliff, Rosie Manzo, Rachel Scudder
Citation: PLoS ONE, 16(6)
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
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Broadband Resources for Regional Development Organizations
Provides examples of broadband feasibility plans for several states. Includes links to conference presentations, case studies, and reports, and federal resources for broadband expansion.
Date: 06/2021
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Development Organizations
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Community Impact and Benefit Activities of Critical Access, Other Rural, and Urban Hospitals, 2019
Examines the economic and healthcare benefit of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) on rural communities. Looks at services provided, the economic health of CAHs, and the effect this has on their communities broadly. Includes comparisons of community benefit and patient care services indicators provided by CAHs and other rural and urban hospitals.
Author(s): Zachariah Croll, John Gale
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Meet CEARH - The Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health
Webinar recording discusses the economic impacts of rural healthcare systems on local, state, and national economies. Features a presentation by a representative of the Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health (CEARH) outlining the products and services of CEARH.
Additional links: Audio Recording, PowerPoint Handout, Webinar Transcript
Date: 06/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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COVID-19 Vaccines: Audience Insights & Messaging Guidance for Rural Communities
Examines rural residents' perspectives and concerns about vaccines, so that business leaders can respond to employee questions and effectively share vaccine facts. Includes suggested messages and links for additional resources.
Additional links: A Checklist for Rural Employers: Making it Easier for Employees & Workers to get Vaccinated
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Action Alliance
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The Food Retail Landscape Across Rural America
Examines changing food retailer trends from 1990 to 2015 in rural areas, discussing food access issues, economic challenges, and health impacts. Provides county-level maps indicating numbers of food retailers and grocery stores, and compares store types and numbers of food retailers for rural, nonmetro large urban, and nonmetro small urban counties.
Author(s): Alexander Stevens, Clare Cho, Metin Cakir, Xiangwen Kong, Michael Boland
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Building Healthy Rural Communities Together: The Role of Rural Philanthropy in Cross-Sector Partnership to Improve Community Health and Well-Being
Video recording of an interview with Allen Smart of PhilanthropywoRx discussing partnerships between philanthropic organizations, rural communities, and rural healthcare organizations to improve health and well-being through investment in rural places.
Date: 05/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Build Healthy Places Network
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