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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community engagement and volunteerism

Resources for Caregiving in Rural Communities
Policy brief describing national and state-level resources being used to support unpaid caregivers in rural areas. Information was gleaned from journal articles, websites, and interviews with 41 informants representing providers, academics, advocacy groups, and others.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Carrie Henning-Smith
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Perspectives on Rural Caregiving Challenges and Interventions
Policy brief describing challenges and opportunities to support unpaid caregivers in rural areas, based on 34 interviews with 41 key informants, from October 2017 through February 2018. Highlights work that informal caregivers are doing and identifies policy levers that have been used to support them.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Megan Lahr
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Understanding Rural Communities
Podcast featuring an interview with Dennis Mohatt, the Vice President for Behavioral Health at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), discussing rural health and the stigma surrounding mental healthcare in rural communities. Covers what it means to work and collaborate with rural partners.
Date: 07/2018
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
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A Changing Kansas: Implications for Health and Communities
Shows changes in Kansas' population since 1960 and population projections through 2066, with breakdowns by urban, semi-urban, densely settled rural, rural, and frontier location. Includes information and statistics on poverty, education, access to care and healthy food, physical activity, tobacco, and community engagement.
Additional links: Issue Brief
Author(s): D. Charles Hunt, Lawrence John Panas
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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Toolkit: State Strategies to Develop Value-Based Payment Methodologies for Federally Qualified Health Centers
Designed to help policymakers implement Medicaid value-based payment (VBP) methodologies by providing background information, key considerations, and state strategies. Table 1 in the Payment Methodologies section gives an overview of select state VBP methodologies for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Addresses challenges for small and rural FQHCs.
Author(s): Rachel Donlon, Hannah Dorr, Kitty Purington
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Rural Post-Acute Care: Healthcare Leaders Offer Practical Solutions to Workforce Challenges
Describes methods for preparing and supporting healthcare workers who provide post-acute care in rural areas. Highlights programs that empower and train staff, maximize community partnerships, involve community health workers, and use telemonitoring.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Where You Age Matters: Individual- and County-Level Predictors of Formal and Informal Care in Rural Appalachia
Examines the county-level social factors and individual-level personal characteristics of older adults in rural, Appalachian Virginia. Explores how these factors interact to predict if older adults receive formal or informal care and contribute to disparities of care. Discusses implications for researchers and policymakers to better align outreach and service delivery.
Author(s): Jyoti Savla, L. Rebecca Bivens, Karen A. Roberto, Rosemary Blieszner
Citation: Journal of Aging and Health, 31(5), 837-860
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
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Achieving Rural Health Equity and Well-Being: Proceedings of a Workshop
Proceedings of a workshop designed to explore impacts of economic issues, immigration, and racial inequities in healthcare in rural communities and to learn about asset-based approaches to addressing these challenges. Features statistics including average life expectancy at birth from 1969-2009 with breakdowns by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, U.S. maps showing levels of poverty and employment, and a chart showing numbers of rural hospital closures from 2005-2017.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Recruitment and Retention: Overcoming the Rural EMS Dilemma
Reports on rural emergency medical services (EMS) workforce challenges and identifies innovative approaches to meet these challenges, highlighting programs in several states. Includes a list of 4 EMS recruitment and retention tactics for rural communities.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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HEROs in Rural Health: Q&A with Art Kaufman
An interview with Arthur Kaufman, MD, vice chancellor for community health at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Health Sciences Center. Discusses his work creating UNM's Health Extension Rural Offices (HEROs) program, based on the agricultural extension model. Also covers his role in promoting the use of community health workers and work with UNM's World Health Organization Collaborating Center.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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