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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Infectious diseases

Lessons for Future Pandemics: Temporal Evolution and Rural-Urban Variations in the Impacts of the COVID-19 on Opioid Use Treatment
Presents a study highlighting the lessons learned from opioid use treatment programs operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Explores the impact of the pandemic on treatment services. Discusses the use of telehealth for both counseling and medication prescribing, as well as the challenges faced by patients trying to obtain treatment during the pandemic.
Author(s): Zhongyang He, Jonathan M. Heess, Travis Young, Zhen Lei
Citation: PLoS ONE, 19(9), e0310386
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
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AHRQ Report to Congress: An Assessment of Sepsis in the United States and its Burden on Hospital Care
Offers an assessment of hospital care for sepsis between 2016 and 2021 including trends in hospital utilization, morbidity, in-hospital mortality, and disparities related to various patient demographics and geographic factors. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Nursing Home Certificate of Need Moratoria During the COVID-19 Pandemic Had Little Impact on Access
Analyzes certificate of need (CON) moratoria and healthcare supply of skilled nursing facility (SNF) beds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizes 2015-2021 SNF cost report data to provide information on states that implemented CON moratoria, differences by rural versus urban counties, and impact on SNF bed supply.
Author(s): Anthony Yu, Christopher Whaley
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
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Improving HPV Vaccination Coverage in The Last Frontier Takes a Community-Centered Approach
Discusses the Alaska Cancer Partnership's efforts to support human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination through community partnerships and the Alaska HPV Vaccination Month campaign. Details initiatives focused on rural, tribal, and youth vaccination access and awareness.
Author(s): Jessica Quinn
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
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Medical Visits and Mortality among Dementia Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic Compared to Rates Predicted from 2019
Evaluates actual versus predicted changes in medical visits and mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic among adults aged 66 and older with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Utilizes 2019-2022 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) data. See table 3 for a bar graph displaying differences in COVID-related and COVID-unrelated excess mortality for selected sociodemographic factors, including level of rurality, during the pandemic.
Author(s): Kaushik Ghosh, Susan T. Stewart, Trivellore Raghunathan, David M. Cutler
Citation: BMC Geriatrics, 24, 727
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
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Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Patient-Centered, Nonphysician Led Self-Monitoring Blood Pressure Program in a Rural Federally Qualified Health Center
Evaluated the effectiveness of a self-monitoring blood pressure program (SMBP) involving a nonphysician team for 205 patients with recent hypertension diagnoses in a rural Washington Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). Discusses facilitators and barriers to implementation including COVID-19, telehealth, community health workers, working with limited English proficiency populations, reimbursement, and collaborations.
Author(s): Magali Sanchez, KeliAnne Hara-Hubbard, Bárbara Baquero
Citation: Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 30, S3167-S174
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
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Critical Lessons from a Pragmatic Randomized Trial of Home-Based COVID-19 Testing in Rural Native American and Latino Communities
Examines the impact of utilizing community health workers (CHWs) to provide COVID-19 home testing in rural Latino and Native American communities. Includes data on completion of COVID-19 tests and provides qualitative feedback on accessibility, feasibility, and completion of COVID-19 home testing with CHW assistance.
Author(s): Eliza Webber, Sonia Bishop, Paul K. Drain, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(4), 709-719
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
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Rural Versus Urban Health Disparities in the COVID-19 Era Among Veterans With COPD
Surveyed 100 rural and urban Minnesota veterans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) between March 2021 and February 2022 to identify differences in perception and practices of COVID-19 mitigation, access to healthcare, and health disparities.
Author(s): Camille Robichaux, Alexander Zanotto, Chris H. Wendt, et al.
Citation: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, 11(5), 538
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
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Syringe Access, Syringe Sharing, and Perceptions of HCV: A Qualitative Study Exploring the HCV Risk Environment in Rural Northern New England, United States
Highlights a study on syringe access for people who inject drugs (PWID), rates of syringe sharing, and perceived hepatitis C (HCV) risk in rural Northern New England. Bases findings on semi-structured interviews and breaks down data by state of residence, age, and drug of choice, among other measures.
Author(s): Eric Romo, Elyse Bianchet, Patrick Dowd, et al.
Citation: Viruses, 16(9), 1364
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
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Increasing Vaccine Confidence in Rural Communities of South-Central Kentucky
Provides educational resources, data, and advice for community leaders and healthcare professionals to promote vaccine confidence in rural south-central Kentucky. The included toolkit provides in-depth discussion of rural attitudes toward vaccination, strategies for effective communication, and information on rural vaccination disparities.
Additional links: Getting to "YES" for Routine Vaccines: A Toolkit to Increase Vaccine Confidence for Rural Communities in Kentucky
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Lung Association
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