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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Infectious diseases

Rx for the Rural Healthcare Workforce and Access to Care
Podcast with Tom Morris of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy about trends related to the rural healthcare workforce and efforts to overcome challenges. Discusses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, rural hospital closures, telehealth, graduate medical education in rural areas, community health workers and community paramedics, funding opportunities to promote healthcare access in rural areas, the opioid crisis, and more.
Author(s): Jessica Nicholson
Date: 05/2022
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: The Conference Board
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Rural Youth Survey: Trends and Developments in the Attitudes and Aspirations of Rural Pennsylvania Youth
Results of a study conducted in the spring of 2021, to document the educational, career, and residential aspirations of rural Pennsylvania 9th and 11th grade students, to examine factors that shape aspirations, and to detail opportunities and barriers that youth experience. Notes that healthcare was the most common career field sought by students. Offers recommendation that additional mental health support be provided for rural youth as they return to in-person schooling after the COVID pandemic. Features demographics and statistics on career aspirations, with breakdowns by type of employment.
Author(s): Lacey Wallace, Sam Tanner, Freyca Calderon-Berumen, Lauren Jacobson
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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COVID-19 and Food Insecurity in the Blackfeet Tribal Community
Examines the occurrence of food insecurity on the Blackfeet reservation in rural Montana across a 4-month period during the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes survey data from 167 participants and discusses the public health implications of food insecurity and health disparities in indigenous populations.
Author(s): Neha A. John-Henderson, Benjamin J. Oosterhoff, Lester R. Johnson, et al.
Citation: Food Security, 14(5), 1337-1346
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
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Big Population Shifts in Cities and Towns One Year Into Pandemic
Examines population gains and losses in cities and small towns in relation to COVID-19 impacts, including the population trends in small towns with less than 5,000 citizens. Provides a U.S. map that shows state-by-state information on percent change of population in the respective state's largest 15 cities or towns.
Author(s): Amel Toukabri, Crystal Delbé
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Advancing Equity Through the American Rescue Plan
Report outlining the implementation of the American Rescue Plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and impacts on equity. Covers financial security for families, communities, and business; housing support; investments in education; and efforts to address health disparities. Describes rural efforts throughout.
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The White House
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Perceptions of the Coronavirus and COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination in Latinx and Indigenous Mexican Immigrant Communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley
Examines social determinants of health (SDOH) and socio-cultural perceptions of COVID-19 spread, testing, and vaccination among Latinx and indigenous Mexican farm-working communities in the rural borderland of Eastern Coachella Valley. Discusses data from 55 focus group participants about themes of misinformation, distrust of institutions, and employment and residency instability.
Author(s): Daniel Gehlbach, Evelyn Vázquez, Gabriela Ortiz, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 22
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
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Rising Food Insecurity and the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Emergency Food Assistance in Michigan
Examines the impacts of the pandemic on emergency food assistance organizations in Michigan. Analyzes 181 organizations and their corresponding directors according to race/ethnicity, sex, and rural versus urban location. Includes map of the location of emergency food programs as well as data on the characteristics of those programs, such as type of program, how the program receives funding, operating details, and more.
Author(s): Dorceta E. Taylor, Te'yah Wright, Ian Ortiz, et al.
Citation: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 11(3), 27-55
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
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Exploring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Syringe Services Programs in Rural Kentucky
Describes ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic affected syringe services programs (SSP) operations, using data from interviews conducted in 2020 with 18 people involved in SSP implementation in rural Kentucky counties.
Author(s): Jennifer L. Glick, Suzanne M. Grieb, Samantha J. Harris, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 19(47)
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
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Food Insecurity in Southwest Virginia
Policy brief exploring the intersectionality between food insecurity and socioeconomic status as well as COVID-19 impacts in Southwest Virginia (SWVA), a primarily-rural area with the highest food insecurity and lowest socioeconomic status in Virginia. Highlights the seriousness and complexity of food insecurity in SWVA and the need for future research. Features statistics comparing food insecurity rates and median household income in Grayson County and Loudoun County, and the relationship between labor force and unemployment rate between 2016-2022.
Author(s): Sety Abooali
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Virginia State Office of Rural Health
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Job Losses Hit Rural Areas Still Recovering From Great Recession
Reports on unemployment rates during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020-2021 by race and rural versus urban designation.
Author(s): Austin Sanders
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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