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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Understanding the Optimal Balance of Using Telehealth and In-person Services to Support Adults with Serious Mental Illness and Children with Serious Emotional Disturbance
Explores the balance between telehealth and in-person care for serious mental illness (SMI) and children with serious emotional disturbance (SED). Summarizes findings from an environmental scan and focus groups with mental health providers, adults with SMI, and parents of children with SED. Discusses how focus group participants made decisions about using telehealth versus in-person mental healthcare and how telehealth impacted access to care and engagement in treatment relative to in-person services.
Author(s): Jasmine Little, Megan Dormond, Sarah Croake, et al.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Identifying Factors Associated with Variation in Telemental Health Delivery at Federally Qualified Health Centers
Examines telemental health delivery at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) across the U.S. Analyzes 1,270 FQHCs and their telemental appointments in 2021 and provides statistics according to mental health staffing, rurality of FQHC, state, and patient population descriptors, including age, race/ethnicity, and insurance status.
Author(s): Brianna Lombardi, Connor Sullivan, Maria Gaiser, et al.
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
Date: 11/2024
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Early Estimates of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rate by Sub-Categories Through June 2024
Presents projections of traffic fatalities and the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled for the first half of 2024. Breaks down data by month, age, sex, and by rural versus urban roads, among other measures. Compares 2023 fatality data to 2024 rates by month for a number of indicators, including rural areas.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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State of the Behavioral Health Workforce, 2024
Offers demographic and occupational data on the behavioral health workforce including current and projected shortages. Data sources include both 2022 and 2023. Offers comparisons of shortages between rural and urban counties. Discusses challenges driving workforce shortages.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Differences in Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Testing and Treatment by Opioid, Stimulant, and Polysubstance Use among People Who Use Drugs in Rural U.S. Communities
Examines hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing in rural people who use drugs (PWUD) when drug combinations are used. Analyzes 2,705 PWUD across 10 rural communities in the U.S. from 2018-2020 for drug use combinations, testing, treatment, and more.
Author(s): Angela T. Estadt, David Kline, William C. Miller, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 21, 214
Date: 11/2024
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Building a Rural Cancer Care Network: Federal Funding Supports Collaboration of Urban, Regional, and Local Organizations
Features a rural cancer care network in Georgia funded by a federal care coordination grant that brings together an urban nonprofit organization, a regional healthcare system with rural locations, and a local rural physician's office. Highlights the network's work related to patient navigation and clinical cancer trial enrollment.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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The Obstetrics Comorbidity Index as a Predictive Tool for Risk-Appropriate Maternal Care
Assesses the use of obstetric co-morbidity index (OBCMI) to predict severe maternal morbidity (SMM) for antepartum obstetrics transfers, utilizing 2016-2020 data of 561 transfers to a level IV facility in a rural health system. Provides data on the associations between OBCMI score and SMM, and discusses the use of OBCMI for triage and comprehensive risk assessment.
Author(s): Allison R. McCarter, Regan N. Theiler, Megan E. Branda, et al.
Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 24, 797
Date: 11/2024
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Implementation and Sustainability of Systems Change for Mental Health Promotion and Substance Misuse Prevention: A Qualitative Study
Examines the implementation and sustainability of the Indiana Regional Prevention System (RPS), a community-focused systems change program focused on mental health promotion and substance use prevention, from interviews with 9 active regional coordinators. Discusses the impact of RPS in rural communities.
Author(s): Ashlyn Burns, Haleigh Kampman, Lauren Magee, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 24, 1477
Date: 11/2024
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Mississippi Maternal Mortality Report: 2017-2021 (Includes COVID-19 Data)
Report from the Mississippi Maternal Review Committee (MMRC) offering analysis of maternal deaths between 2017 and 2021 and recommendations for reducing mortality, including rural-specific needs. Analysis includes mortality by race and ethnicity, age, and leading causes.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Mississippi State Department of Health
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Expansion of an Academic Molecular Tumor Board to Enhance Access to Biomarker-Driven Trials and Therapies in the Rural Southeastern United States
Examines access to and availability of molecular tumor boards (MTBs) and comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) to improve cancer outcomes in rural patients. Examines data from 151 patients from rural North Carolina enrolled in a clinical cancer trial and examines cancer types, actionable biomarkers, and provider feedback on barriers to enrollment in patient trial clinicals in rural areas.
Author(s): Anivarya Kumar, Jennifer R. Owen, Nicholette T. Sloat, et al.
Citation: Current Oncology, 1(11), 7244-7257
Date: 11/2024
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