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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community health workers

Assessing Social Needs and Engaging Community Health Workers in Underserved Kansas Counties: Insights From Primary Care Providers and Clinic Managers
Details a study exploring how rural and underserved urban communities in Kansas are screening for social determinants of health and using community health workers to address challenges. Bases findings on surveys of providers and clinic managers.
Author(s): Kristina M. Bridges, Joseph W. LeMaster, Daniel J. Parente, et al
Citation: Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, 14
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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Virginia Oral Health Workforce Gap Assessment
Report describing challenges in ensuring that all Virginians have equitable access oral healthcare, and offering an actionable framework for addressing them. Features statistics on the Virginia oral healthcare workforce, including numbers of dentists and dental hygienists, numbers of dentists treating Medicaid patients by year from 2012-2022, and a map showing dental Health Professional Shortage Areas. Includes information about the Virginia state loan repayment program for eligible providers.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Health Catalyst
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Breast Cancer Disparity and Outcomes in Underserved Women
Provides an overview of breast cancer disparities experienced by underserved and vulnerable women. Discusses racial and ethnic groups, gender minority population, and rural population, and highlights the significance of social determinants of health. Describes strategies to mitigate disparities and improve access, including education and engagement, community health workers, mobile mammography, and care coordination.
Author(s): B Bersu Ozcan, Başak E. Dogan, Ann R. Mootz, et al.
Citation: RadioGraphics, 44(1), 230090
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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Texas Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan: Progress Report
Report summarizing progress of the Texas Fiscal Years 2022-2026 Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan. Discusses mental health workforce shortages, recruitment and retention of workforce, telehealth, loan repayment, community health workers, and incentivizing rural practice. Discusses rural throughout. Includes priority next steps and outlines strategies by various Texas state agencies.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Texas Statewide Health Coordinating Council
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Improving Access to Primary Care for Underserved Populations: A Review of Findings from Five Case Studies and Recommendations
Summarizes and synthesizes the findings from a series of five case studies that explored the impact of policy initiatives that aim to improve access to primary care. Covers increasing the availability of primary care providers, improving underserved communities' access to outpatient clinics, removing structural barriers to care, making primary care affordable, and improving comfort and communication between providers and patients. Presents recommendations for federal and state policymakers, primary care practices, medical schools, and other relevant stakeholders. Includes rural examples and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Maanasa Kona, Jalisa Clark, Emma Walsh-Alker
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Center on Health Insurance Reforms, Milbank Memorial Fund, National Institute for Health Care Reform
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Council on Graduate Medical Education Meeting Minutes, September 8, 2023
Summarizes the Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME) meeting held on September 8, 2023. Includes an update from the White House COVID-19 Response Team, among other things. Features presentations on team-based care through the Quality Payment Program and Interprofessional Practice and Education and a Whole Health Approach. Include rural references throughout.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Council on Graduate Medical Education
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"This Is Not My Grandmother's Summer": Rural Populations Are Uniquely Vulnerable to the Health Impacts of Extreme Heat
Discusses the challenges rural areas face in helping address the impact of heat on health. Includes strategies used in rural North Carolina, Indiana, and Washington State to help inform and protect rural residents, including those exposed to heat through work outdoors.
Author(s): Brendan Stermer
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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RPHWTN Grantees Help Rural Healthcare Facilities Keep Local Talent
Highlights the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network and its focus on expanding workforce capacity in rural and tribal areas. Features a career ladder program in Missouri, a respiratory therapy training program in Texas, and a health IT training program in Virginia.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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PREVENT Pandemics Act (P.L. 117-328, Division FF, Title II)
Provides a section-by-section overview of the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (PREVENT Pandemics Act), enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. Describes the Continuing Education Support for Health Professionals Serving in Rural and Underserved Communities Program, which supports specialty training for primary care providers, as well as other rural-relevant provisions.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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New Mexico State-Tribal Collaboration Act Agency Report 2023
Summarizes collaboration between New Mexico state agencies and tribal nations in New Mexico regarding current public health priorities, including COVID-19, substance use disorder, homelessness, and cancer. Identifies resources available for American Indians from each New Mexico department and activities and funding for the fiscal year 2023, covering community health workers, cancer, diabetes, suicide prevention, and more.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Department of Health
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