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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Texas Cares Rx Annual Program Report
Reports on fiscal year 2024 costs, initiatives, feedback, and future considerations for Texas Cares Rx, a prescription drug cost savings program for uninsured Texans. Pages 9-11 summarize stakeholder feedback on rural health needs, including discussion of rural healthcare access gaps and pharmacy deserts.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
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Differential Effects of a Social Work Staffing Intervention on Social Work Access Among Rural and Highly Rural Veterans: A Cohort Study
Presents a study on the efficacy of a VA program to expand access of social work services to rural veterans. Draws data from VA sites that participated in the program from October 2016 to September 2021. Compares social worker utilization by rural and urban veterans and breaks down data by age, race, and reason for visit, among other factors.
Author(s): Andrew N. Honken, Christopher W. Halladay, Lisa E. Wootton, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 59(S2), e14327
Date: 12/2024
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Effects of Rural Hospital Closures on Nurse Staffing Levels and Health Care Utilization at Nearby Hospitals
Analyzes healthcare utilization and nurse staffing levels when nearby rural hospitals close. Utilizes 2014-2019 American Hospital Association Survey data to examine vocational nurse/licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), and advanced practice nurse (APN) staffing levels as well as inpatient and outpatient surgical operations and emergency department (ED) visits within 4 years of a hospital closure.
Author(s): Jing Dong, Siying Liu, Asefeh Faraz Covelli, Guido Cataife
Citation: Health Economics, 33(12), 2687-2707
Date: 12/2024
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Improving Access to Buprenorphine for Rural Veterans in a Learning Health Care System
Describes the development of a implementation strategy to increase rural buprenorphine prescribing at U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) healthcare systems based on existing successful strategies in 6 rural VAs. Discusses clinical needs to support increased prescribing related to mentorship, consulting services, and practitioner education.
Author(s): Jessica J. Wyse, Katherine Mackey, Kim A. Kauzlarich, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 59(S2), e14346
Date: 12/2024
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Understanding the Impact of Healthcare Providers' Perspectives on Cancer Control in Rural Communities: A Qualitative Study
Explores the perceptions of 23 healthcare providers on factors impacting rural patients' access to care and the associated impacts on providers' approach to cancer screening and prevention recommendations. Discusses the impact of both patient and provider trust on information-gathering and care coordination.
Author(s): Alee Lockman, Mariam Krikorian Atkinson, Keelin McGee, Tenille Oderwald, James McGee
Citation: SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, 6, 100452
Date: 12/2024
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North Dakota Qualified Service Provider Hub Survey Report
Report features findings of a survey of qualified service providers (QSPs) in the state of North Dakota. Discusses findings from individual QSPs and agency QSPs and details information about clients served, services provided, and pay and benefits, including the rural differential rate, among other topics.
Author(s): Karen Bernhardt
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: North Dakota Qualified Service Provider Hub
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Urban and Rural Differences in the Efficacy of a Mobile Health Depression Treatment for Young Adults
Examines the efficacy of a randomized clinical trial of a mobile health (mHealth) depression treatment in 103 young adults ages 18-25 across the U.S. Explores whether treatment efficacy differed by rural and urban residence.
Author(s): Jeremy Mennis, J. Douglas Coatsworth, Michael Russell, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(12), 1572
Date: 11/2024
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Results of a Systemic Study of Pedestrian Safety in Tribal Areas
Webinar recording in which a panel discusses the results of A Systemic Safety Study of Pedestrians in Tribal Areas. Transcript included below description.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Rural Road Safety
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Tribal Epidemiology Centers: Strengthening American Indian and Alaska Native Public Health through Data, Collaboration, and Innovation
Provides an overview of tribal epidemiology centers (TECs), focusing on their impact on the availability and quality of public health surveillance data for American Indians and Alaskan Natives. Discusses challenges with collecting data for this population and strategies TECs are using to address these issues. Offers examples of public health best practices from TECs related to cancer, behavioral health, substance use, infectious diseases, and more.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Tribal Epidemiology Centers
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Disparities Between Rural and Urban Communities: Response to 18 Months of Diet and Exercise Versus Control for Knee Osteoarthritis and Overweight or Obesity
Examines intervention outcomes related to pain, function, mobility, BMI, and health-related quality of life among rural and urban dwellers in North Carolina. Utilizes data from the Weight Loss and Exercise for Communities with Arthritis in North Carolina (WE-CAN) program, which provided diet and exercise (D+E) and attention control (C) interventions to 823 older adults.
Author(s): Stephen P Messier, Megan G Monroe, Leigh F Callahan, et al.
Citation: Arthritis Care & Research, 77(1), 69-76
Date: 11/2024
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