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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Population health

Since 1990, Rural Hospital Closures Have Increasingly Occurred in Counties that Are More Urbanized, Diverse, and Economically Unequal
Findings brief describing the socioeconomic, demographic, and health system characteristics of rural counties with and without hospital closures between 1990-2020. Features county-level maps showing rural hospital closures by decade, and statistics including percentage of closures by census region, median share of racial and ethnic groups and socioeconomic indicators in closure counties, and share of rural counties classified as whole-county Health Professional Shortage Areas prior to closure. Includes a table showing share of counties in Rural-Urban Continuum Code categories 1-9 in 1990, 2003, and 2013.
Author(s): Arrianna Marie Planey, Julie R. Perry, Erin E. Kent, et al.
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Assessment of Structural Barriers and Racial Group Disparities of COVID-19 Mortality With Spatial Analysis
Explores social determinants of health such as minority status, income inequality, and lack of health insurance, among others, and their relationship to COVID-19 mortality rates. Analyzes data from rural, suburban, and urban counties across all 50 states from January 2020 to February 2021. Includes demographic data such as age, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic advantage index, and more.
Author(s): Qinyun Lin, Susan Paykin, Dylan Halpern
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 5(3)
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
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National COVID-⁠19 Preparedness Plan
A plan to address COVID-19 focused on four goals: protecting against and treating COVID-19; preparing for new variants; preventing economic and educational shutdowns; and continuing to vaccinate the world. Includes discussion of equitable access to COVID-19 resources for rural and tribal communities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The White House
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Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Between Urban and Rural Counties — United States, December 14, 2020–January 31, 2022
Examines COVID-19 vaccination disparities between urban and rural people 5 years of age and older. Discusses factors that may have contributed to vaccination disparities, including healthcare access, views about COVID-19 specifically, and vaccine hesitancy more generally. Provides data based on a 6-level urban-rural classification and a 2-level urban-rural classification, with vaccination coverage by sex, age group, and state. Also includes data on vaccine series completion and receipt of a booster or additional dose.
Author(s): Ryan Saelee, Elizabeth Zell, Bhavini Patel Murthy, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(9), 335-340
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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COVID-19 and Alabama's Black Belt
Issue brief examining COVID-19 impacts on the Black Belt region of Alabama and rural Alabama in general, highlighting health outcome disparities. Addresses chronic diseases affecting residents of the Black Belt, access to primary care physicians, and policy recommendations to support healthcare in the region.
Author(s): Emily Grace Corley, Garrett Till, Sean O'Brien, Stephen G. Katsinas, Nathaniel J. Bray
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The University of Alabama Education Policy Center
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Hawaii 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment
Reports on Hawaii's triennial community health needs assessment. Addresses access to healthcare, transportation challenges, healthy food access, cultural competency, social determinants of health, current health status, and more. Discusses impact of COVID-19 on the community. Includes discussions of rural-specific challenges and perspectives from Native Hawaiians.
Additional links: Addendum to the 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment: Additional Tracking of Secondary Data
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Healthcare Association of Hawaii
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2022-2027 Illinois Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan
Provides an overview of the cancer burden in Illinois as well as strategies to improve screening, treatment, and survivorship. Discusses geographic disparities related to healthcare access and provides county-level data on cancer rates and social determinants of health. Includes a section specific to issues of rural health and cancer control.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Department of Public Health
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Implementing Community-Based Prostate Cancer Education in Rural South Carolina: A Collaborative Approach through a Statewide Cancer Alliance
Surveyed 40 primarily African American men in rural South Carolina to determine impact of a community-based prostate health education program. Discusses the effectiveness of community-based education in rural communities.
Author(s): Catherine Troy, Ashley Brunson, Andrew Goldsmith, et al
Citation: Journal of Cancer Education
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
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Comparing Smoking Cessation Interventions among Underserved Patients Referred for Lung Cancer Screening: A Pragmatic Trial Protocol
Presents a study comparing four different smoking cessation support programs offered in tandem with lung cancer screening for underserved patients. Evaluates each intervention offered to Black, Latinx, and rural patients and draws conclusions based on outcomes.
Author(s): Rachel Kohn, Anil Vachani, Dylan Small, et al.
Citation: Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 19(2), 303-314
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
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Prehospital Time for Patients with Acute Cardiac Complaints: A Rural Health Disparity
Reviews 428,054 emergency medical services (EMS) instances between January 2013 and May 2018 related to acute cardiac complaints to examine differences in time spent between EMS dispatch and hospital arrival for rural and urban patients. Discusses inequities in time to care by age, sex, transport mode, and patient status.
Author(s): Nicklaus P. Ashburn, Anna C. Snavely, Ryan M. Angi, et al.
Citation: The American Journal of Emergency Medicine 52(2022), 64-68
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
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