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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Infrastructure

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021: Broadband Provisions - In Brief
Provides an overview of broadband-related provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Discusses the COVID-19 Telehealth Program and the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. Highlights new grant programs to support broadband connectivity on tribal lands and broadband infrastructure deployment to areas lacking broadband.
Date: 03/2021
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Uplifting America's Left Behind Places: A Roadmap for a More Equitable Economy
Report examining economic inequality on a geographic scale, addressing inequity across states, rural and urban areas, and counties. Discusses types of spatial inequality, including health, economic, and racial inequities. Offers recommendations to leverage federal economic development policy to support local and regional development. Discusses investments in connectivity and capacity-building, including broadband, infrastructure, labor markets, and civic institutions, particularly in rural areas.
Author(s): Kenan Fikri, Daniel Newman, Kennedy O'Dell
Date: 02/2021
Sponsoring organization: Economic Innovation Group
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Broadband Today: Rural America's Critical Connection
Report discussing the importance of broadband to connecting rural communities, including its role in rural businesses, telehealth access, education, and agriculture. Addresses the impacts of COVID-19 on remote work, telehealth delivery, and changes to business and consumer activity, and explores future steps for broadband funding and adoption in rural areas.
Date: 02/2021
Sponsoring organization: Foundation for Rural Service
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Quality Water from Every Tap: Proceedings of a Workshop - in Brief
Summarizes topics covered at a workshop held November 21-22, 2019, including discussion on water quality challenges and suggestions for improvement. Focuses on areas that may lack sufficient resources, such as rural and tribal communities.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Division on Earth and Life Studies
Date: 02/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Federal Universal Service Fund and Other Selected Federal Broadband Programs: A Primer
Provides an overview of federal programs designed to accelerate broadband deployment and adoption in rural and tribal areas and among eligible households.
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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The Importance of Video Visits in the Time of COVID-19
Highlights the importance of video-to-home telemedicine (VTH) for maintaining mental healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses the usefulness of VTH in expanding access to mental healthcare broadly, as well as some of the infrastructure-based limitations that currently exist.
Author(s): Jan A. Lindsay, Julianna B. Hogan, Anthony H. Ecker, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 242-245
Date: 01/2021
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Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap
Report details the form and function of the transportation systems serving rural areas. Discusses gaps in service for all forms of rural transportation, including EMS and non-emergency medical transportation.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organizations: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, National Cooperative Highway Research Program
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Models for Population Health Improvement by Health Care Systems and Partners: Tensions and Promise on the Path Upstream: Proceedings of a Workshop
Proceedings from a public workshop held on September 19, 2019, exploring higher levels of action to improve health, such as changing laws, policies, and regulations, to improve the community conditions for health. Describes efforts of health systems and their partners to move beyond what takes place in clinical settings and to identify and respond to the needs of patients and communities. Notes that some approaches may work differently in rural and urban areas.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Applicant Toolkit for Competitive Funding Programs at USDOT
Provides information and resources to guide users through the process of finding and applying for United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) discretionary grants to fund transportation projects in rural communities. Includes an overview of the discretionary grant process, informational videos, financing resources, examples of past funding activities, and more. Developed as a component of the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (R.O.U.T.E.S.) Initiative.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: United States Department of Transportation (USDOT)
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Perceived Importance of Physical Activity and Walkable Neighborhoods Among US Adults, 2017
Uses nationally representative data to assess adults' self-reported importance of getting regular physical activity and residing in walkable neighborhoods. Includes data breakdowns by sex, age, race/ethnicity, census region, nonmetropolitan/metropolitan status, and more.
Author(s): Susan A. Carlson, Emily N. Ussery, Kathleen B. Watson, Kelly A. Cornett, Janet E. Fulton
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17, E168
Date: 12/2020
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