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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Frontier and remote areas

Provider- and System-Level Barriers and Facilitators to Colonoscopy and Multi-Target Stool DNA for Colorectal Cancer Screening in Rural/Remote Alaska Native Communities
Highlights a study of the barriers and facilitators to colorectal cancer screening for Alaska Native communities in rural and remote regions of Alaska. Bases findings on interviews with providers and an analysis of system-level factors, such as travel time and costs, weather, and COVID-19, among others.
Author(s): Diana Redwood, Melissa Toffolon, Christie Flanagan, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(22), 7030
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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Merging to Overcome Challenges in Colorado
Details the merging of 2 frontier county health departments located in the Colorado Rockies. Discusses the benefits of the merger in terms of resources and services, funding, staff sharing, peer support, and more.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Public Health Accreditation Board Center for Innovation
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Oregon Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) Facilities
Shows a county-level map of Oregon identifying the locations of hospitals participating in the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP), whether they are type A or B, and whether they are located in a frontier county.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
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Availability of Dialysis Facilities in Minoritized Racial/Ethnic Group Areas
Explores the availability of dialysis facilities nationwide across ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) categorized by rurality and racial and ethnic composition. Provides data on driving distances to the nearest dialysis facility by ZCTA rurality, minoritized ethnic and racial group category, and frontier and remote (FAR) designation.
Author(s): Janice C. Probst, Peiyin Hung, Gabriel Benavidez, Abbey Hunter, Jan M. Eberth
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Changes in Buprenorphine Visits in Frontier and Remote Locations: Effects of the SARS-COV-2 Pandemic
Evaluated patient appointments offering buprenorphine prescriptions in the 55 weeks before and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to determine the impact of the pandemic and pandemic-era policies on buprenorphine access for frontier residents in the Great Plains region.
Author(s): Lisa M. McFadden
Citation: Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 7, 100155
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
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Expanded Report to Congress: Non-Emergency Medical Transportation in Medicaid, 2018–2021
Examines the Medicaid analysis of non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) using Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) data from 2018-2021. Explores the number and percentage of Medicaid beneficiaries using NEMT, the average number of NEMT "ride days" per NEMT user per month enrolled in Medicaid, the types of medical services accessed when using NEMT, monthly trends in the use of NEMT versus telehealth services before and during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), and the volume of NEMT services used by type of NEMT delivery model. Offers recommendations for states and local stakeholders regarding Medicaid coverage of NEMT. Presents data by state and by beneficiary characteristics, including Medicaid eligibility category, health conditions, and urban-rural location.
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Rural Health Research Recap: Rural Hospital Closures: 2023 Update
Summarizes recent research from Rural Health Research Centers examining hospital closures. Features statistics including number of acute hospitals as of 2020 with breakdowns by type and location, rural hospital closures from 2005-2022 with breakdowns by isolated rural, small rural, and large rural location, and numbers of closures by year from 2005-2022 with breakdowns by complete or converted closures.
Author(s): Per Ostmo
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Challenges and Solutions for Disaster Behavioral Health in Rural and Remote Communities
Describes the scope and diversity of rural and remote populations across the nation, highlighting sources of strength and struggle, including the effects of stigma, for rural Americans and rural healthcare providers. Explores potential approaches to disaster behavioral health in rural and remote areas, including governmental and policy approaches, community-based approaches, and telemedicine.
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center
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Colorado: Rural Health Facilities within County Designations, 2023
Identifies Colorado counties by rural, urban, and frontier designations and the location of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs).
Date: 03/2023
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Rural Health Center
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Analysis of Substance Use and Suicidal Ideation in Midwestern Frontier and Non-Frontier Locations
Evaluated emergency department data in South Dakota from 2017 to 2018 to identify ED usage by frontier and non-frontier residents for substance use disorder and suicidal ideation. Discusses usage by substance and the connection between substance use and suicidal ideation.
Author(s): Alexandra Dolezal, Marie Severson, Rusul Ali, Phil Dohn, Lisa McFadden
Citation: South Dakota Medicine, 76(1), 24-27
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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