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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Emergency preparedness and response

Ethical and Legal Challenges During the COVID‐19 Pandemic – Are We Thinking About Rural Hospitals?
Discusses the legal framework and ethical decisions hospitals are faced with during the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights emergency preparedness planning for rural hospitals with limited workforce and resources.
Author(s): Love Patel, Amy Elliott, Erik Storlie, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 175-178
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
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Cervical Cancer Screening Among Medicaid Patients During Natural Disasters and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Puerto Rico, 2016 to 2020
Evaluates the ability of healthcare providers to conduct cervical cancer screenings in Puerto Rico during the aftermath of a natural disaster. Compares rates of screening from January of 2016 to June of 2020 and correlates those rates with hurricanes Irma and Maria, the 2019-2020 earthquakes, and the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.
Author(s): Ana Patricia Ortiz, Axel Gierbolini-Bermúdez, Jeslie M. Ramos-Cartagena, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 4(10), e2128806
Date: 2021
Type: Document
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The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity
Series of essays exploring how nurses can work to reduce health disparities and promote equity, while keeping costs at bay, using technology, and maintaining patient- and family-focused care into 2030. Includes sections on social determinants of health and nurses' role in disaster preparedness and public health emergency response. Provides rural references throughout.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on the Future of Nursing 2020-2030
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Financial Impact of COVID-19 on Rural Federally Qualified Health Centers
Infographic describing the estimated financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the communities they serve between April 2020 and June 2021.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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Working with Tribes to Achieve Interoperability
Describes the importance of the Tribal Emergency Response Commission (TERC) as a liaison between tribal councils and local emergency planning committees for identifying communication needs and for developing coordinated plans and procedures that align with statewide and regional governance. Highlights 3 tribal projects collaborating with states and regional entities to set priorities and advocate for new technologies to improve emergency communication systems. Identifies the goals, objectives, and examples of tribal activities that align with the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) recommendations.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
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Enhancing Rural Emergency Communications Capabilities
Highlights the accomplishments of University of Mississippi Medical Center's First Hands Program to establish communication systems and agency interoperability between non-medical first responders and medical teams, improve disaster response coordination, and identify solutions to improve the delivery of rural emergency medical care. This program was funded by the Rural Emergency Medical Communications Demonstration Project (REMCDP) established by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and addresses the goals and objectives of the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP).
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
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Crisis Communication Plan with a Focus on COVID-19
Provides guidance intended for Tribal Nations of Montana and Wyoming, and useful to other rural communities, to assist them in developing a communication plan for use during an emergency or a pandemic event such as COVID-19. Discusses the methods to establish a communication team, identification of and response to hazards and risks, impact assessment, disbursement of internal and external information, and post crisis mitigation and evaluation.
Author(s): Divya Narala
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council
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Telemedicine Utilization Report: Telehealth and Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines the use of telemedicine to deliver Medicaid-covered services in the state of Minnesota. Describes state and federal telehealth policy waivers and modifications that were temporarily implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses telehealth use by and special considerations for rural populations.
Author(s): Neerja Singh, Julie Marquardt
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Human Services
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Re-imagining Leadership: A Pathway for Rural Health to Thrive in a COVID-19 World
A COVID-19 emergency response playbook for rural healthcare delivery systems. Designed to build rural hospital and primary care leadership capacities around strategic thinking and local problem solving. Distills insights from rural hospital administrators, clinicians, and public health experts. Includes an assessment tool to help rural communities examine governance and leadership, community engagement, financial health, clinical care, and emergency preparedness and resilience.
Author(s): Lauren S. Hughes, Benjamin D. Anderson, Darlene B. Tad-y, et al.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Tool
Sponsoring organizations: Colorado Hospital Association, Eugene S. Farley, Jr. Health Policy Center
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Synergistic Disparities and Public Health Mitigation of COVID-19 in the Rural United States
Describes how public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic emphasize racial, economic, and geographic disparities, especially among rural and poor populations. Covers public health mitigation measures, including disease surveillance, physical distancing, hand and respiratory hygiene, and public health communication. Discusses the ethical demands of public health practice during and following a public health emergency.
Author(s): Kata Chillag, Lisa Lee
Citation: Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 17(4), 649-656
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
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