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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

VA Mental Health: Additional Action Needed to Assess Rural Veterans' Access to Intensive Care
Report examines the rate at which the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Intensive Mental Health Care programs were being utilized in rural areas. Highlights the difference in the utilization rate of the inpatient, residential, and outpatient mental health programs for both rural and urban veterans. Makes suggestions for how the VHA can improve these rates going forward.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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2023 Stability of the Rural Health Safety Net: State and National Data Tables
Provides links to national and state data tables showing the financial impact of federal policies such as sequestration and bad debt reimbursement on rural hospital revenues, jobs, and gross domestic product. Presented at the February 2023 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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The 10-20-30 Provision: Defining Persistent Poverty Counties
Defines persistent poverty counties. Discusses how differences in definitions and data can affect which counties are considered persistently poor and includes a map highlighting the impact of different rounding methods. Briefly addresses legislation targeting persistent poverty counties using the "10-20-30 provision," including rural development funding. Table 2 lists persistent poverty counties based on data from the 1990 Census, Census 2000, and the 2021 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE).
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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The Black Lung Program, the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, and the Excise Tax on Coal: Background and Policy Options
Information on black lung disease and benefits under the federal black lung program. Examines Black Lung Disability Trust Fund revenues, including coal excise tax, and discusses policy options that could improve the fiscal outlook of the Trust Fund. Features statistics including black lung benefit costs, number of beneficiaries, coal excise tax collections, and Trust Fund debt, with breakdowns by year.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Arkansas Health Workforce Projections: 2021-2035
Report outlining the current non-physician healthcare workforce shortages in Arkansas, projections through 2035, and recommendations to address supply and demand issues. Recommendations include discussion of the workforce pipeline, retention, exploring models of care, distribution of workforce, data collection, and policy. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Hospital Association
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Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages (ACICBL) Meeting Minutes, January 19-20, 2023
Summarizes the Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages (ACICBL) meeting held on January 19-20, 2023. Includes presentations and discussions on the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and the National Caregiver Strategy, age-friendly public health systems, the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program, and Title VII mental and behavioral health education and training programs. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary Community-Based Linkages
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2023 Vermont Primary Care Sourcebook
Describes the mission of the Vermont Primary Care Association (PCA), and includes sections on Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the Vermont Rural Health Alliance. Features a list of the Bi-State PCA's Vermont members with contact information, and a county-level map showing locations of the state's FQHCs.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bi-State Primary Care Association
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Childcare Need and Availability in Rural Areas: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary
Presents the findings from the 90th meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services examining the availability and accessibility of childcare services in rural communities. Provides recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on actions supporting rural childcare. Discusses the efforts of the American Rescue Plan Act funding, and the effects of COVID-19 and the Public Health Emergency on childcare access and availability.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Who Lives in Rural America? How Data Shapes (and Misshapes) Conceptions of Diversity in Rural America (Part I)
Shares maps and other visualizations that illustrate rural diversity and shows how this diversity varies by region and over time. Part I discusses the importance of understanding the diversity of rural populations and identifies policy and resource allocation inequities that may result when the racial and ethnic diversity of rural communities is not apparent. Part II includes detailed sections with data focused on the rural Black, Hispanic and Latino, Native, Asian, and White populations.
Additional links: Who Lives in Rural America? The Geography of Rural Race and Ethnicity (Part II)
Date: 01/2023
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation
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Arizona Rural and Public Health Policy Forum Session Recordings
Lists recorded sessions from the 2023 Arizona Rural & Public Health Policy Forum. Includes topics such as health equity, social determinants of health, tribal health, policy updates, information technology, healthcare cost, and more.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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