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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Mortality

COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality Among American Indian/Alaska Native and White Persons — Montana, March 13–November 30, 2020
Examines COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) and White people in Montana. Discusses factors that may have contributed to greater incidence and mortality for the AI/AN population and the need for culturally appropriate public health measures and vaccine allocation strategies to address disparities.
Author(s): Laura L. Williamson, Todd S. Harwell, Todd M. Koch, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 70(14), 510-513
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Guide for Future Directions for the Addiction and OUD Treatment Ecosystem
Details strategies for addressing the opioid use epidemic and improving the current addiction treatment ecosystem. Breaks down the strategies by capacity, competency, consistency, and compensation. Discusses some of the barriers to treating opioid use disorder in rural areas.
Author(s): R. Corey Waller, Kelly J. Clark, Alex Woodruff, et al.
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy of Medicine
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The Opioid Epidemic: A Geography in Two Phases
Examines population and geographic data on 2 phases of the U.S. opioid epidemic. Examines the association between overdose deaths and chronic pain, physical disability rates, and economic hardship. Discusses the shift from overdose mortality associated with prescription opioids to illicit and synthetic opioids in the early 2010s, including in rural areas and the Northeastern U.S.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): David A. McGranahan, Timothy S. Parker
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Dangerous by Design: 2021
Provides data on numbers of people who were struck by motor vehicles and killed while walking. Ranks the most dangerous states and metropolitan areas for pedestrians, and addresses disparities among groups of people at greatest risk of dying while walking. Features a section on dangers faced by pedestrians in rural areas (p. 27-28), and includes statistics on pedestrian fatalities from 2010-2019 with breakdowns by state.
Author(s): Rayla Bellis, Becca Buthe, Martina Guglielmone
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: National Complete Streets Coalition, Smart Growth America
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QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Influenza and Pneumonia, by Urbanization Level and Sex — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2019
Bar chart showing influenza and pneumonia death rates for urban and rural counties overall, for males, and for females.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 70(12), 456
Date: 03/2021
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Rural Death Rates from COVID-19 Surpassed Urban Death Rates in Early September 2020
Chart showing weekly COVID-19 death rates per 100,000 adults, comparing urban and rural communities. Discusses higher death rates in rural areas in early September 2020, addressing factors impacting the increase.
Date: 03/2021
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Urban–Rural Differences in Drug Overdose Death Rates, 1999–2019
Examines age-adjusted drug overdose deaths in urban and rural counties. Includes urban-rural data on overdose deaths overall and for selected types of opioids and stimulants from 1999 through 2019. Identifies states with higher overdose deaths in rural counties, higher rates in urban counties, and states with no significant difference between rural and urban overdose death rates.
Author(s): Holly Hedegaard, Merianne Rose Spencer
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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COVID-19 and Rural Communities: Protecting Rural Lives and Health
Report examining the impact of COVID-19 in rural America, presenting data on case rates and mortality, prevalence in diverse rural communities, and health conditions contributing to severe cases of COVID-19. Discusses issues of socioeconomic vulnerability, healthcare access, and public health compliance. Offers actions to address disparities, including increasing access, supporting livelihoods, and considering social determinants of health in healthcare planning.
Author(s): Jesse Bradford, Erica Coe, Kana Enomoto, Matt White
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: McKinsey & Company
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Nonmetropolitan COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality Rates Surpassed Metropolitan Rates Within the First 24 Weeks of the Pandemic Declaration: United States, March 1 – October 18, 2020
Compares COVID-19 cases and death rates in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas across three 11-week periods in 2020. Features state-level maps providing a visual assessment of the changing impact that COVID-19 had on nonmetropolitan populations.
Author(s): Kevin A Matthews, Fred Ullrich, Anne H. Gaglioti, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(2), 272-277
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
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Traffic Safety in Appalachia: Final Report
Defines the traffic safety culture in Appalachia and discusses causes of common safety problems in the region, including drug- and alcohol-impaired driving. Explores environmental concerns of Appalachian drivers, such as expansive rural regions, mountainous and curved terrain, and dense forests exposed to extreme weather elements. Includes analysis of Appalachian traffic fatalities, fatal crash data statistics, and an evaluation of the Appalachian Development Highway System as a possible intervention measure for treating traffic safety problems. Also includes a case study of severe crashes in Appalachian North Carolina, featuring statistics with breakdowns by rural and urban areas.
Additional links: Research Brief
Author(s): Wesley Kumfer, Katherine Harmon, Bo Lan, et al.
Date: 02/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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