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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Infectious diseases

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' Ethical Principles for Allocating Initial Supplies of COVID-19 Vaccine — United States, 2020
Discusses four ethical principles that will inform the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations for the initial allocation of COVID-19 vaccine: maximizing benefits and minimizing harms; promoting justice; mitigating health inequities; and promoting transparency. The section on health inequities includes discussion of concerns for rural residents.
Author(s): Nancy McClung, Mary Chamberland, Kathy Kinlaw, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(47), 1782-1786
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Indian Health Service COVID-19 Pandemic Vaccine Plan
Highlights the Indian Health Service's plan for distributing the COVID-19 vaccination in Indian Country when it becomes available. Discusses the administration, distribution, and prioritization of the vaccine and features planning scenarios and facility planning resources.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Indian Health Service
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Ensuring Health Across Rural Minnesota in 2030
Offers recommendations to policymakers and stakeholders on how to expand access to high-quality and inexpensive healthcare for rural communities in Minnesota. Covers trends in factors that may affect rural health, such as increased diversity, older populations, higher healthcare costs, lack of broadband, closures of healthcare facilities, and more. Discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated issues in rural communities.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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COVID-19 Stats: COVID-19 Incidence, by Urban-Rural Classification — United States, January 22–October 31, 2020
Line chart showing COVID-19 incidence for large central metropolitan, large fringe metro, medium/small metro, and micropolitan/noncore (rural) areas.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(46), 1753
Date: 11/2020
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Community Health Center Telehealth Utilization in Rural and Urban States During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Analyzes community health centers' utilization of telehealth services by state for the week prior to October 16, 2020. Compares the percentage of health center visits conducted virtually to the proportion of the population of each state that lives in rural areas.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health, RCHN Community Health Foundation
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Rethinking Rural Health: FY 2020 Year in Review
Provides an overview of Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) programs and activities that have affected rural health and healthcare in fiscal year 2020. Focuses on nine priority areas: COVID-19, maternal health, Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM), quality improvement, practitioner engagement, patient empowerment and person-centered care, Medicare and Medicaid payment and policy, models and demonstrations, and telehealth.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Multiple COVID-19 Outbreaks Linked to a Wedding Reception in Rural Maine — August 7–September 14, 2020
Reports on a COVID-19 outbreak that began at a rural Maine wedding reception and spread in the local community and to a long-term care facility and a correctional facility in other counties. Discusses the impact of noncompliance with CDC's recommended mitigation measures.
Author(s): Parag Mahale, Craig Rothfuss, Sarah Bly, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(45), 1686-1690
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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COVID-19 Outbreak in an Amish Community — Ohio, May 2020
Reports on a COVID-19 outbreak in a rural Ohio Amish community. Discusses access to testing, provision of culturally responsive health education messages, and collaboration among health department staff and community leaders to help overcome cultural barriers.
Author(s): Hammad Ali, Karthik Kondapally, Paran Pordell, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(45), 1671-1674
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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HRSA Programs Serve Rural Communities
Infographic provides an overview of the Health Resources and Services Administration programs serving rural areas. Covers rural health, health center, health workforce, HIV/AIDS, and maternal and child health programs.
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration
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Notes from the Field: Development of an Enhanced Community-Focused COVID-19 Surveillance Program — Hopi Tribe, June‒July 2020
Describes a collaboration between the Hopi Tribe Department of Health and Human Services, Hopi Health Care Center, and CDC to provide house-to-house COVID-19 surveillance and education in a rural, low-resource setting using community health representatives and volunteers.
Author(s): Royce Jenkins, Rachel M. Burke, Joyce Hamilton, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(44), 1660-1661
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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