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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Environmental health

Building Resilience through Disaster Relief and Recovery
Describes the impact of climate events on rural populations and community infrastructure. Provides strategies for localized disaster response and recovery solutions by utilizing partnerships, building resilience, and improving food access. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Author(s): Jonathan Sury, Nick Wiersma, Pam Chatman
Date: 11/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Cumulative Environmental Quality Is Associated with Breast Cancer Incidence Differentially by Summary Stage and Urbanicity
Identifies associations between environmental factors and breast cancer stages in North Carolina using the Environmental Quality Index (EQI). EQI factors include air, water, land, sociodemographic, and built environments. Includes analysis of urbanicity, race, screenings, and tobacco use.
Author(s): Larisa M. Gearhart-Serna, Brittany A. Mills, Hillary Hsu, et al.
Citation: Scientific Reports, 13, 20301
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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Accessing Clean Water Infrastructure Assistance: Small, Rural, Disadvantaged, and Underserved Communities
Recording of a November 8, 2023, hearing exploring how the Clean Water State Revolving Fund can help address wastewater infrastructure challenges faced by small, rural, disadvantaged, and underserved communities. Features testimony from the Rural Community Assistance Partnership; Nueces River Authority; and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division.
Additional links: John Byrum, Nueces River Authority - Testimony, Olga Morales-Pate, Rural Community Assistance Partnership - Testimony, Shellie R. Chard, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality - Testimony
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
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MotherToBaby Gives Rural Pregnant and Breastfeeding Moms 'Fingertip Access' to Exposure Experts
Provides an overview of MotherToBaby, which works to educate pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and their healthcare providers on the risks of exposures. Discusses how MotherToBaby's free services can support rural mothers, highlighting programs serving rural areas in Georgia and North Texas.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural-Urban Disparities in Health Outcomes, Clinical Care, Health Behaviors, and Social Determinants of Health and an Action-Oriented, Dynamic Tool for Visualizing Them
Examines county-level disparities in rural and urban health outcomes and presents a health equity dashboard depicting the disparities. Utilizes 2015 and 2019 County Health Rankings datasets to analyze measures such as health outcomes, clinical care, health behaviors, physical environment, and social and economic factors according to urban, suburban, and rural location.
Author(s): William B. Weeks, Ji E. Chang, José A. Pagán, et al.
Citation: PLOS Global Public Health, 3(10)
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
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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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Report to Congress on the Outcome Evaluations of Administration for Native Americans Projects
Provides an overview of 2020 Administration for Native Americans (ANA) projects, with a focus on each project's goals, objectives, accomplishments, and relevant data. Summarizes 33 projects that aim to promote social/cultural, environmental, and economic health and sustainability in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations, with several projects addressing population health in rural areas. Discusses the impacts of COVID-19 on ANA projects.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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The State of Our Health: A Statewide Health Assessment of Pennsylvania, August 2023 Update
Identifies specific health challenges in Pennsylvania and indicates where the largest improvements can be made. Features sections on social determinants of health, access to care, substance use, chronic diseases, mental health, maternal and infant health, injury and violence prevention, infectious diseases and immunization, Health Professional Shortage Areas, and environmental health. Includes references to rural throughout.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Department of Health
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USDA Rural Development Summary of Programs
Provides an overview of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development programs that focus on housing, community, energy, telecommunications, water, environment, and business. Includes information about each program's applicants, population, and funding type, with links to additional information.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
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The Association of Forced Expiratory Volume in One Second with Occupational Exposures in a Longitudinal Study of Adults in a Rural Community in Iowa
Examines the impact of occupational vapor–gas, dust, and fumes (VGDF) exposures and cigarette smoke on respiratory health. Provides data on 1,071 adults living in rural Iowa according to health status, health behaviors, and lifetime VGDF exposures. Discusses the health implications of work-related VGDF exposures.
Author(s): Paul K. Henneberger, Steven M. Rollins, Michael J. Humann, et al.
Citation: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 96(6), 919-930
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
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