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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Infectious diseases

Voices From the Field: A Qualitative Study of the Challenges and Promising Practices of Rural Public Health in Addressing HIV and Hepatitis C
Examines rural vulnerability to HIV and hepatitis C for people who inject drugs. Presents findings from interviews with 36 public health professionals from rural states, addressing funding limitations, staffing, public health infrastructure challenges, public health initiatives, and community education programs.
Author(s): Martha Elbaum Williamson, Karen B. Pearson, Amanda R. Burgess, Jennifer D. Lenardson, Erika C. Ziller
Citation: Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, 44(2), 114-136
Date: 2021
Type: Document
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Urban and Rural Districts Showed a Strong Divide During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Results from the Second American School District Panel Survey
Report highlights the differences between rural and urban school districts in the ways they adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses the different approaches to addressing the physical and mental health and safety for students and staff and makes recommendations for school districts.
Author(s): Heather L. Schwartz, Melissa Kay Diliberti, Lisa Berdie, et al.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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The Impact of COVID-19 on Title VI Native American Aging Programs and Services
Infographic summarizing results of a survey of Title VI Native American aging program directors on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their programs and communities. Provides information on the needs of Native American elders during the pandemic, expanded or new services offered by Title VI programs, and workforce concerns.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Miami University Scripps Gerontology Center, USAging
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Financial Impact of COVID-19 on Rural Federally Qualified Health Centers
Infographic describing the estimated financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the communities they serve between April 2020 and June 2021.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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Sexually Transmitted Infections - Adopting a Sexual Health Paradigm
Highlights the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across the U.S. Discusses how marginalized groups, such as women, LGBTQ, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations, among others, are disproportionately affected. Details how the barriers to healthcare access in rural areas, particularly rural American Indian reservations, can affect the rates of STIs. Makes policy recommendations to address these disparities.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Project ECHO - Indiana University (IU) Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
Offers CMEs and continuing education via live teleclinics for physicians and non-physicians, pharmacists, nurses, social workers, and certified health education specialists. Programs include didactic and case-based learning on hepatitis C, HIV, LGBTQ+, cancer, pain management, and COVID-19 response.
Date: 2021
Type: Tutorial/Training
Sponsoring organizations: Indiana University - Purdue University Indiana (IUPUI), Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
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Impact of the COVID-19 Shutdown on Mental Health in Appalachia by Working Status
Results of a study on issues faced by Appalachian residents during the COVID-19-related shutdown in the spring of 2020, including concerns about healthcare and finances, and the effect on mental health. Examines whether there were higher levels of anxiety, fear, and depression among those who continued working outside the home compared with those who began working remotely during the shutdown. Features demographics and statistics on chronic health conditions and types of concerns, with breakdowns by work categories.
Author(s): Erin N. Haynes, Timothy J. Hilbert, Susan C. Westneat, et al.
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 3(1), 18-28
Date: 2021
Type: Document
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A Description of COVID-19 Lifestyle Restrictions Among a Sample of Rural Appalachian Women
Findings from a survey given to 33 women who had previously participated in a larger survey involving substance use and behavioral risks. Features demographics and statistics on substance use, mental health, and types of activity restrictions related to COVID-19.
Author(s): Michele Staton, Martha Tillson, J. Matthew Webster
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 3(1), 4-17
Date: 2021
Type: Document
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Using State Licensure Data to Assess North Carolina's Health Workforce COVID-19 Response Capacity
Assesses the supply of healthcare providers in North Carolina who are able to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, using licensure data merged with population data and numbers of intensive care unit (ICU) beds. Mentions rural throughout. Features county-level maps showing ratios of respiratory therapists, critical care nurses and physicians per 10,000 county population, and ratios of critical care nurses and respiratory therapists to numbers of ICU beds.
Author(s): Heather Wilson, Evan M. Galloway, Julie C. Spero, et al.
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 82(1), 29-35
Date: 2021
Type: Document
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The Best and Worst Places for Children in America
Includes an interactive map ranking states and counties on their ability to care for and protect children, with data on child poverty, COVID-19 vulnerability, and more. Users can select and compare counties on various threats to childhood, such as deaths before age 18, teen pregnancy, food insecurity, and school dropouts.
Additional links: Childhood in the Time of COVID
Date: 2021
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Save the Children Federation, Inc.
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