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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health disparities

Task Force on Maternal Mental Health: National Strategy to Improve Maternal Mental Health Care
Offers 5 recommendations for improving maternal mental health and associated substance use disorders using a whole-government approach by building infrastructure to improve care. Recommendations discuss federal collaboration, accessibility of care, data gathering, prevention strategies, and engaging those with lived experience. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Navigating Geographical Disparities: Access to Obstetric Hospitals in Maternity Care Deserts and Across the United States
Examines disparities related to maternity care access by analyzing travel distances to obstetric care across the United States. Provides data to nearest obstetric hospital by census tract, with further breakdowns according to maternity care desert (MCD) designation, rurality, race/ethnicity, and travel time. Includes U.S. maps showing spatial clusters of distance and travel time to obstetric care.
Author(s): Jazmin Fontenot, Christina Brigance, Ripley Lucas, Ashley Stoneburner
Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 24, 350
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
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Discrimination in Healthcare: Perceptions Among LGBTQ Individuals in the Metro and the Nonmetro
Discusses the disparities related to healthcare discrimination of LGBTQ individuals living in metro versus nonmetro areas of the United States. Utilizes 2022 survey data to examines LGBTQ experiences regarding topics such as location of residence, life satisfaction, access to respectful healthcare, trans healthcare issues, and more.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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A Standard Framework for Evaluating Large Health Care Data and Related Resources
Identifies a set of actions, criteria, and tools that can be used in evaluating large healthcare data and related resources. Includes information on evaluating data coverage, representativeness, inclusion, and equity, including the availability of information on rural or urban location.
Author(s): Suad El Burai Felix, Hussain Yusuf, Matthew Ritchey, et al.
Citation: MMWR Supplements, 73(Suppl. 3), 1-13
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Increasing Telehealth Use during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and Healthcare Disparities: An Updated Systematic Review
Summarizes findings from a systematic review of literature published between December 2022 and July 5, 2023, regarding whether telehealth impacted healthcare access and disparities. Includes rurality as a demographic group assessed.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Telehealth Research Center
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Preventable Premature Deaths from the Five Leading Causes of Death in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Counties, United States, 2010–2022
Analyzes National Vital Statistics System mortality data between 2010 and 2022 to find the 5 leading causes of preventable deaths for people less than 80 years old. Discusses trends across time in metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore regions and the impact of COVID-19 on the findings. Offers recommendations for future data analysis.
Author(s): Macarena C. García, Lauren M. Rossen, Kevin Matthews, et al.
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 73(2), 1-11
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Rural-Urban Disparities in the Availability of Hospital-Based Screening, Medications for Opioid Use Disorder, and Addiction Consult Services
Compares availability of opioid use disorder screening, medication, and addiction consult services in hospitals by level of rurality. Utilizes data from the 2021 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey of Hospitals. Discusses access barriers to opioid use disorder services in rural areas.
Author(s): Berkeley Franz, Cory E. Cronin, Zoe Lindenfield, et al.
Citation: Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 160, 209280
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
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A Rapid Review of Interventions to Improve Care for People Who Are Medically Underserved with Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetic Retinopathy, and Lung Cancer
Literature review on interventions to improve health, promote access to care, and decrease disparities among patients with multiple sclerosis, diabetic retinopathy, and lung cancer. Analyzes 44 studies, highlighting findings related to underserved groups, including people in rural areas, throughout.
Author(s): Sarah Mossburg, Mona Kilany, Kimberly Jinnett, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(5), 529
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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Rural-Urban Differences in Long-Term Mortality and Readmission Following COVID-19 Hospitalization, 2020 to 2023
Analyzes rural-urban disparities in mortality and hospital readmission among 9,325 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from March 2020 to July 2022, with follow-up data through May 2023. Includes data on demographic and clinical factors associated with rural dwelling.
Author(s): Mohammed Yousufuddin, Maryam Mahmood, Ebrahim Barkoudah, et al.
Citation: Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 11(5)
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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Vitamin D Levels and SARS-CoV-2 Infection among Medically Underserved Populations in the Minority and Rural Coronavirus Insights Study
Analyzes associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection and vitamin D status among 3187 Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) patients, with comparisons by race and other demographic factors. Discusses COVID-19 disparities among underserved populations. Includes data on SARS-CoV-2 infection and vitamin D deficiency among rural people.
Author(s): Makella S. Coudray, Shantoy Hansel, Salvatore Alesci, et al.
Citation: Viruses, 16(4), 639
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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