Rural Health
Resources by Topic: COVID-19
Challenges with Vaccination Data Hinder State and Local Immunization Program Efforts to Combat COVID-19
Presents results of a December 2021 survey of 56 state and local immunization programs regarding whether they receive individual-level COVID-19 vaccination data from Federal agencies and retail pharmacy partners. Discusses the impact of having incomplete individual-level vaccination data on reaching unvaccinated and vulnerable populations, including rural populations and American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). Includes recommendations for the CDC to mitigate data gaps and ensure that state and local immunization programs are aware of existing tools to address vaccination campaign needs.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Presents results of a December 2021 survey of 56 state and local immunization programs regarding whether they receive individual-level COVID-19 vaccination data from Federal agencies and retail pharmacy partners. Discusses the impact of having incomplete individual-level vaccination data on reaching unvaccinated and vulnerable populations, including rural populations and American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). Includes recommendations for the CDC to mitigate data gaps and ensure that state and local immunization programs are aware of existing tools to address vaccination campaign needs.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Early Challenges Highlight Areas for Improvement in COVID-19 Vaccination Programs
Explores challenges faced by 56 state, local, and territorial immunization programs in implementing COVID-19 vaccination programs, including challenges to reaching rural and underserved populations. Discusses mitigation strategies the immunization programs implemented to address those challenges. Includes recommendations for the CDC to improve the efficiency and equity of the COVID-19 vaccination programs.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Explores challenges faced by 56 state, local, and territorial immunization programs in implementing COVID-19 vaccination programs, including challenges to reaching rural and underserved populations. Discusses mitigation strategies the immunization programs implemented to address those challenges. Includes recommendations for the CDC to improve the efficiency and equity of the COVID-19 vaccination programs.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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COVID-19 Impacts on Primary Care Clinic Care Management Processes
Examines the relationship between COVID-19 primary care disruptions and worsened health outcomes for patients with chronic diseases. Analyzes 269 primary care clinics in Minnesota in 2017, 2019, and 2021 to observe changes in care management processes (CMPs). Presents rural versus urban clinic data related to CMPs reported on the Physician Practice Connections Readiness Survey (PPC-RS).
Author(s): Leif I. Solberg, Caroline S. Carlin, Kevin A. Peterson
Citation: The Annals of Family Medicine, 21(1), 40-45
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Examines the relationship between COVID-19 primary care disruptions and worsened health outcomes for patients with chronic diseases. Analyzes 269 primary care clinics in Minnesota in 2017, 2019, and 2021 to observe changes in care management processes (CMPs). Presents rural versus urban clinic data related to CMPs reported on the Physician Practice Connections Readiness Survey (PPC-RS).
Author(s): Leif I. Solberg, Caroline S. Carlin, Kevin A. Peterson
Citation: The Annals of Family Medicine, 21(1), 40-45
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Mobile Health and Wellness Project: A Binational Collaboration of Frontline Health Services to the Latino Population in the United States in Times of COVID-19
Highlights the activities and initial outcomes of the education and vaccination efforts provided by the Mobile Health and Wellness project focused on Latino, immigrant, and rural communities in the U.S. to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Preventive health services were offered to Latinx populations in areas with limited access to health services, and provided via mobile health vehicles operated by the US-Mexico Border Health Commission (Mexico Section) along with Alianza Americas, Latino Commission on AIDS, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Author(s): Cecilia B. Rosales, Hilda Dávila Chávez, Michael A. Flynn, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 10
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Highlights the activities and initial outcomes of the education and vaccination efforts provided by the Mobile Health and Wellness project focused on Latino, immigrant, and rural communities in the U.S. to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Preventive health services were offered to Latinx populations in areas with limited access to health services, and provided via mobile health vehicles operated by the US-Mexico Border Health Commission (Mexico Section) along with Alianza Americas, Latino Commission on AIDS, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Author(s): Cecilia B. Rosales, Hilda Dávila Chávez, Michael A. Flynn, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 10
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Telemedicine Use and Quality of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in the US During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Results of a study of 1,768 clinicians treating 11,801 patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), to examine the association between telemedicine adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic and indicators of OUD treatment quality. Explores medications for OUD (MOUD) prescribing and OUD-related clinical events, including drug overdose, inpatient detoxification, and rehabilitation center stay. Features statistics including patient and clinician characteristics, with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, small town, and rural location.
Author(s): Ruth Hailu, Ateev Mehrotra, Haiden A. Huskamp, Alisa B. Busch, Michael L. Barnett
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(1)
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Results of a study of 1,768 clinicians treating 11,801 patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), to examine the association between telemedicine adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic and indicators of OUD treatment quality. Explores medications for OUD (MOUD) prescribing and OUD-related clinical events, including drug overdose, inpatient detoxification, and rehabilitation center stay. Features statistics including patient and clinician characteristics, with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, small town, and rural location.
Author(s): Ruth Hailu, Ateev Mehrotra, Haiden A. Huskamp, Alisa B. Busch, Michael L. Barnett
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(1)
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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What Happens When COVID-19 Emergency Declarations End? Implications for Coverage, Costs, and Access
Identifies federal health-related COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declarations, the flexibilities each provides, and implications for ending them. Topics covered include COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination; telehealth; Medicaid coverage and federal match rates; Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance flexibilities; and more.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Identifies federal health-related COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declarations, the flexibilities each provides, and implications for ending them. Topics covered include COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination; telehealth; Medicaid coverage and federal match rates; Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance flexibilities; and more.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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COVID-19: HHS Funds Allocated to Support Disproportionately Affected Communities
Describes how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration, Indian Health Service, and Office of Minority Health allocated funding to support communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Explores how five selected states - Arizona, Louisiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Washington - allocated funds from five CDC programs to support COVID-19 response efforts in disproportionately affected communities, including rural communities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Describes how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration, Indian Health Service, and Office of Minority Health allocated funding to support communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Explores how five selected states - Arizona, Louisiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Washington - allocated funds from five CDC programs to support COVID-19 response efforts in disproportionately affected communities, including rural communities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Interruptions in Routine Blood Pressure Screening Services Among Local Health Departments During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines interruptions related to preventative chronic disease interventions in local health departments (LHDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Provides results from 820 LHDs responding to the Forces of Change (FoC) survey from November 2020 to March 2021 regarding blood pressure screenings, staff capacity, and chronic disease priorities during the pandemic. Includes breakdowns of LHD data by type of governance, Census region, and size of LHD, including those serving fewer than 50,000 people.
Author(s): Margaret C. Cunningham, Jordan Royster, Timothy C. McCall
Citation: Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 29(1),108-111
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Examines interruptions related to preventative chronic disease interventions in local health departments (LHDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Provides results from 820 LHDs responding to the Forces of Change (FoC) survey from November 2020 to March 2021 regarding blood pressure screenings, staff capacity, and chronic disease priorities during the pandemic. Includes breakdowns of LHD data by type of governance, Census region, and size of LHD, including those serving fewer than 50,000 people.
Author(s): Margaret C. Cunningham, Jordan Royster, Timothy C. McCall
Citation: Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 29(1),108-111
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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COVID-19 Mortality Rates across Noncore, Micropolitan, and Metropolitan Counties by Community Characteristics, December 2020-January 2021
Explores differences in COVID-19 mortality rates across rural-urban designations and stratifications by geography, county-level sociodemographic factors, and county-level healthcare factors. Features statistics on mortality rates by rurality and U.S. census region, racial/ethnic composition, and ICU and nursing home bed density, as well as state-level maps showing mortality rates per 100,000 with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas.
Author(s): Whitney E. Zahnd, Khyathi Gadag, Fred Ullrich, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Explores differences in COVID-19 mortality rates across rural-urban designations and stratifications by geography, county-level sociodemographic factors, and county-level healthcare factors. Features statistics on mortality rates by rurality and U.S. census region, racial/ethnic composition, and ICU and nursing home bed density, as well as state-level maps showing mortality rates per 100,000 with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas.
Author(s): Whitney E. Zahnd, Khyathi Gadag, Fred Ullrich, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Examining Rural Telehealth During the Public Health Emergency
Examines the use of telehealth visits for rural and urban fee-for-service Medicare enrollees between January 2018 and June 2021. Compares telehealth utilization before the COVID-19 pandemic (2018-2019) with telehealth utilization from January 2020 to June 2021. Describes the demographic, geographical, and technological characteristics of telehealth services that were associated with increased telehealth use. Explores the extent to which the increased implementation and utilization of telehealth during the PHE impacted the cost of patient care and provider utilization.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS Alliance to Modernize Healthcare
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Examines the use of telehealth visits for rural and urban fee-for-service Medicare enrollees between January 2018 and June 2021. Compares telehealth utilization before the COVID-19 pandemic (2018-2019) with telehealth utilization from January 2020 to June 2021. Describes the demographic, geographical, and technological characteristics of telehealth services that were associated with increased telehealth use. Explores the extent to which the increased implementation and utilization of telehealth during the PHE impacted the cost of patient care and provider utilization.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS Alliance to Modernize Healthcare
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