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Resources by Topic: Population health

Community Power in Population Health Improvement: Proceedings of a Workshop
Reports on a January 2021 workshop exploring issues related to community-driven power-building efforts to improve population health. Summarizes workshop presentations and discussions on community-led action around different population health improvement topics such as education, transportation, environmental health, healthy eating, and active living, among others. Chapter 6 includes examples of rural and tribal initiatives.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Assessment of a Community-Based Exercise Program for Older Adults in a Mixed Rural/Urban Catchment Area: Silver Sneakers in Central Pennsylvania
Study assessing the Silver Sneakers program, a federally funded, community-based exercise program for older adults, based on interviews with program staff in central Pennsylvania. Discusses rural/urban access to the program, facilities that offer the programs, and closures due to COVID-19.
Author(s): Eileen Flores, Sage Nakawa, Robbin Moyer, Shirley M. Bluethmann
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 19, 210283
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
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Health-Related Behavioral Risk Factors and Obesity Among American Indians and Alaska Natives of the United States: Assessing Variations by Indian Health Service Region
Study examining behavioral risk factors and obesity in American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) based on 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. Investigates rates of current cigarette smoking, heavy drinking, binge drinking, and physical activity, analyzing disparities in AI/AN and non-Hispanic White populations.
Author(s): Guixiang Zhao, Jason Hsia, Alexander Vigo-Valentín, William S. Garvin, Machell Town
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 19, 210298
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
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Social Cohesion and Social Engagement among Older Adults Aging in Place: Rural/Urban Differences
Results of a study examining rural/urban differences in social cohesion and social engagement for older adults aging in place, and within-rural differences by race and ethnicity. Uses survey data collected in 2019 from 3,343 Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Megan Lahr, Hannah MacDougall, John Mulcahy
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
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Strict Entry Procedures at St. Joseph's Hospital of Buckhannon in W.Va.
Case study discussing the efforts of St. Joseph's Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital in Buckhannon, West Virginia, to strengthen its security presence and safety controls. Describes the implementation of a workplace violence training program for staff and security officers.
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Partnering to Improve Health and Wellbeing via Community Based Care Coordination in Rural Minnesota
Case study featuring Winona Health, an independent, community-owned, and vertically integrated healthcare system serving rural Minnesota. Describes efforts underway to address the social determinants of health in the community through the Winona Wellbeing Collaborative. Also discusses efforts to build intercultural skill throughout the Winona Health organization.
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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How Becoming a "Blue Zone" Advanced the Health of Klamath Falls, Oregon
Case study featuring Sky Lakes Medical Center, a not-for-profit, community-owned, acute-care teaching hospital in rural Oregon. Describes a variety of community partnerships underway to help meet the needs of the community, including the Healthy Klamath Coalition, Klamath Works, and the Blue Zones Project.
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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The Clinical and Business Cases for Opening a Maternity Care Unit in a CAH
A case study of a rural North Carolina partnership that worked together to add a new wing for a maternity unit at a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital. Explains how the service was planned to be financially viable. Describes maternal and infant health disparities in the region and discusses how this new service will meet the needs of the population with culturally and linguistically accessible care.
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Evolving Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccines among Remote Alaskan Communities
Highlights a study on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among remote Alaskan communities. Details levels of vaccine hesitancy, vaccination, and feelings about the vaccine over the course of the pandemic. Breaks down participant data by age, race, and healthcare access, among other measures.
Author(s): Micah B. Hahn, Ruby L. Fried, Patricia Cochran, Laura P. Eichelberger
Citation: International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 81(1)
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
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Changes in Access to Medication Treatment during COVID-19 Telehealth Expansion and Disparities in Telehealth Use for Medicare Beneficiaries with Opioid Use Disorder
Discusses policies that allow access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) via telehealth before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Examines outpatient telehealth use and MOUD treatment among Medicare beneficiaries by dual eligibility status, rurality, and presence of comorbid health conditions between April-December 2020.
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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