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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Families

Coverage Trends for American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Families
Analyzes data from the U.S. Census Bureau to show trends in health insurance coverage rates among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children and families between 2008 and 2015. Examines the expanded role of Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in driving down the AI/AN uninsured rates, particularly in states with the largest AI/AN populations.
Author(s): Joan Alker, Karina Wagnerman, Andy Schneider
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
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Medicaid in Small Towns and Rural America: A Lifeline for Children, Families, and Communities
Uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) to explore the changing levels of Medicaid coverage and uninsured rates at the county level by age. Addresses the role of Medicaid in the 46 states containing small-town and rural populations. Includes numerous charts, maps, and graphs to help illustrate the relationship between Medicaid growth and uninsured rates in rural areas, focusing on the time period from 2008-2009 to 2014-2015.
Additional links: Interactive Map: The Percent of Adults in Small Towns and Rural Areas Covered by Medicaid, 2014/15, Interactive Map: The Percent of Children in Small Towns and Rural Areas Covered by Medicaid, 2014/15, State Data on Adult Health Coverage in Small Towns and Rural Areas, State Data on Child Health Coverage in Small Towns and Rural Areas, State Data on Non-Elderly Health Coverage in Small Towns and Rural Areas, State Data on Seniors' Health Coverage in Small Towns and Rural Areas
Author(s): Jack Hoadley, Karina Wagnerman, Joan Alker, Mark Holmes
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Rural and Urban/Suburban Families' Use of a Web-Based Mental Health Intervention
Analyzes data from a web-based mental health intervention program serving adolescents and caregivers in disaster-affected areas of Missouri and Alabama, comparing rural and urban/suburban rates of accessing and completing web-based mental healthcare modules. Describes historic disparities in mental healthcare among rural communities, noting changes to access and engagement due to increased internet technology use among rural youth and adults. Discusses the potential of web-based healthcare interventions, including telehealth, to expand mental health services in rural areas.
Author(s): Brian Bunnell, Tatiana Davidson, Daniel Dewey, Matthew Price, Kenneth J. Ruggiero
Citation: Telemedicine Journal and E-Health, 23(5), 390-396
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
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The Role of Public Versus Private Health Insurance in Ensuring Health Care Access & Affordability for Low-Income Rural Children
Reports on the rural-urban differences in healthcare access for children with public health insurance versus private insurance, and how families perceive affordability of healthcare when enrolled in Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and private insurance plans.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Jennifer D. Lenardson, Amanda R. Burgess
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Differences in Health Care, Family, and Community Factors Associated with Mental, Behavioral, and Developmental Disorders Among Children Aged 2–8 Years in Rural and Urban Areas — United States, 2011–2012
Provides rural and urban data on a variety of health-related factors for children 2-8 years of age with and without mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders. Topics addressed include demographics, health insurance coverage, having a medical home, parental mental health, family financial difficulties, and community factors.
Author(s): Lara R. Robinson, Joseph R. Holbrook, Rebecca H. Bitsko, et al.
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(8), 1-11
Date: 03/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Over Tea, South Carolina Girls Learn about Healthy Decisions
Highlights South Carolina's Tea Time with Teens, a program aimed at reducing teen pregnancy by bringing together community leaders, mothers, and daughters to build life skills and make healthy decisions.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural Grant Evaluation Report: Journeys Home Home Visiting Project
Report evaluating home-based domestic abuse and sexual violence advocacy programs supported by a Vermont rural grant funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. Describes the project's response to issues of cultural competency and access to survivor-centered advocacy and its emphasis on strengthening relationships between rural caregivers and children affected by violence and abuse. Presents statistical data from program-wide surveys of adult clients, children of clients, and Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence staff members along with qualitative data from four participant interviews.
Author(s): Emily F. Rothman, Amy Torchia
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
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Implementation of the Federal Rural IMPACT Demonstration
Overview of the first year of the White House Rural Council and U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' demonstration project, focused on improving social determinants of health and designed to reduce poverty through coordinated services for children and parents. Discusses key findings and identifies possible lessons for policymakers and stakeholders. Includes appendix with profiles of the 10 demonstration sites.
Author(s): Alana Landey, Pam Winston, Pierre Joseph
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Families in Crisis: The Human Service Implications of Rural Opioid Misuse
Presents findings and policy recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services' 2016 meeting with rural residents, healthcare providers, and stakeholders regarding the impact and effects of opioid use disorders on rural families. Topics addressed include drug overdose and death, conflict with partners and children, emotional disturbance, adverse health risks, and related impacts on employment and economic sustainability.
Date: 07/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Advancing Health Equity for Native American Youth: Workshop Summary
Report of a roundtable workshop held in New Mexico that brought together leaders from a wide range of fields, including those in Native American healthcare, to address the need for greater visibility for the health disparities faced by tribal and indigenous populations, how to develop programs to address those disparities, and how to encourage support for Native American leaders to advance those programs. This workshop specifically focused on Native American youth, addressing such topics as suicide, the importance of grandparents in the lives and care of children, and the cultural resiliency of Native Americans to overcome trauma and disparities.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity and the Elimination of Health Disparities
Date: 07/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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