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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Employment and unemployment

Columbia Gorge Region, Oregon and Washington: 2016 RWJF Culture of Health Prize Winner
Describes how the communities within the Columbia Gorge region took a collaborative approach by developing a 15-member community advisory committee that included Medicaid recipients and Latino residents. Top concerns addressed by this committee were food, housing, jobs and transportation, along with improved access to dental and mental health, and better coordination among social services and healthcare providers. Projects included expanding the use and training of community health workers (CHWs) to assist Latino residents when navigating programs outside of healthcare and the development of a fruit and vegetable prescription program to support increased intake of healthy foods. A collective impact specialist was hired to help solve community problems through collaborative efforts, and to find grants and other sources of funding to support their projects. Columbia Gorge Region is a recipient of the 2016 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize.
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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After a Parent Left Employment, One in Five Children Lost Private Insurance
Examines children's loss of private health insurance after parental job loss. Includes data on rural compared to urban privately insured children. Reports that, after parental job loss, rural and urban children were similarly impacted related to health insurance coverage.
Author(s): Kristin Smith
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Nonmetro Unemployment Rates Have Declined, but Remain Highest for Adults with the Lowest Levels of Education
Line chart showing unemployment rates for rural adults year-by-year for 2007-2014, for those with less than a high school diploma, a high school diploma, some college, an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, or graduate/professional degree.
Date: 10/2015
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Unequal Lives: The State of Black Women and Families in the Rural South
Analyzes the health and well-being of low-income Black women in nine rural counties across Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Identifies barriers to success and economic security, including poverty, low educational attainment, and inadequate access to public infrastructure, healthcare, and more. Includes statistics and demographics for each of the states and counties included in the study.
Date: 07/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative
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2015 County Health Rankings Key Findings Report
Provides information on county-level health disparities by analyzing health factors and outcomes throughout the U.S. Covers social and economic factors, including poverty, income inequality, employment, and community safety.
Date: 2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
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Rural Employment in Recession and Recovery
Describes the impact of the 2007-2008 recession and the recovery that followed, with a focus on rural employment. Discusses regional variation in unemployment. Compares rural to urban employment growth from 2007 to 2014.
Author(s): Thomas Hertz, Lorin Kusmin, Alexander Marré, Timothy Parker
Citation: Amber Waves
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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High Deductible Health Insurance Plans in Rural Areas
Examines whether rural residents with private insurance are more likely to have a high deductible health insurance plan (HDHP) than urban residents, and if it differs by location in remote, rural areas. Addresses differences in income and education and offers recommendations related to the Health Insurance Marketplaces.
Additional links: Policy Brief: Rural Residents More Likely to be Enrolled in High Deductible Health Plans
Author(s): Jennifer D. Lenardson, Erika C. Ziller, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 05/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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The Long-Term Unemployed in the Wake of the Great Recession: Percent of Unemployed Americans Seeking Work for Longer Than Six Months More Than Doubled Between 2007 and 2013
Describes the demographic and economic characteristics of the urban and rural long-term unemployed and compares them with their short-term unemployed counterparts.
Author(s): Andrew Schaefer
Date: 2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Middle-Skill Jobs Remain More Common Among Rural Workers
Explores employment trends among middle-skill jobs including the healthcare sector and the recession's impact on middle-skill workers in rural compared to urban areas.
Author(s): Justin R. Young
Date: 06/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Transitioning to the Civilian Workforce: Issues Impacting the Reentry of Rural Women Veterans
Outlines the effects of military service on women veterans' ability to return to civilian employment and discusses their health status and access to healthcare.
Author(s): Celia Renteria Szelwach, Jill Steinkogler, Ellen R. Badger, Ria Muttukumaru
Citation: Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 26(3), 83-112
Date: 2011
Type: Document
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