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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Population health

America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2018
Provides a national and state-by-state overview of population health for older adults across 34 measures, as well as two supplemental measures new in 2018: suicide rate and risk of social isolation. Includes a special focus on persistent health disparities and challenges facing rural seniors.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: United Health Foundation
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OSF HealthCare – Peoria, IL: Connecting Health Systems and Community-Based Organizations to Improve Outcomes
Features a faith-based, 13-hospital health care system serving Illinois and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Describes OSF Center for Health - Streator, which will feature the first rural freestanding emergency department in Illinois. Discusses how OSF HealthCare is using a case management platform and working with community-based organizations to meet a wide range of patient needs.
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Access to Syringe Services Programs — Kentucky, North Carolina, and West Virginia, 2013–2017
Overview of the role of syringe services programs (SSPs) in reducing hepatitis C transmission related to injection drug use. Describes the expansion of SSPs in Kentucky, North Carolina, and West Virginia from 2013 through August 1, 2017. Discusses the opportunity to improve access to care through SSPs, including access to related services such as medication-assisted treatment, which can be included in comprehensive SSPs.
Author(s): Danae Bixler, Greg Corby-Lee, Scott Proescholdbell, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 67(18), 529-532
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Improving Health Research on Small Populations: Proceedings of a Workshop
Summary of a January 2018 workshop focused on health research with small population groups, including rural populations. Discusses the challenges of small population health research and innovative approaches related to study design, data collection, and statistical analysis to address these challenges.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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2017 Colorado Opioid Safety Pilot Results Report
Describes an opioid safety pilot study that implemented the ALTO, or alternative to opioid, approach for pain treatment in 7 urban and 3 rural hospital emergency departments in Colorado. Discusses ALTO's multifaceted treatment approach for pain management, data collection and analysis, and lessons learned.
Additional links: Pre-Launch Checklist: Using Alternatives to Opioids (ALTOs) in Hospital Emergency Departments
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Hospital Association
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The Rural Veteran Outreach Toolkit
Toolkit focuses on increasing partnerships between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and rural communities with the goal of improving the quality of life for veterans who live in rural communities. Describes the veteran outreach model, presents data on rural veterans, and provides a community workbook.
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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Feasibility Test of a Community-Relevant Intervention Designed to Promote African American Participation in Translational, Breast Cancer Disparities Research: Know about Health Options for Women (Know HOW)
Explores two strategies for increasing breast cancer research participation among African American women: a comprehensive and focused outreach program with different levels and methods of engagement and information dissemination. Describes a study of the programs in the rural Lower Mississippi River Delta region of Arkansas, including different rates of participation for each outreach program. Discusses breast cancer health disparities for African American women and the importance of new research methods.
Author(s): Karen H. Kim Yeary, Page Moore, Jerome Turner, et al.
Citation: Journal of Cancer Education, 33, 29-36
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
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A Comparison of Collaborative Care Outcomes in Two Health Care Systems: VA Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers
Compares merged data from two different collaborative care trials: Telemedicine-Enhanced Antidepressant Management (TEAM) evaluating collaborative care for veterans with depression at a Veterans Affairs (VA) community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs); and Outreach Using Telemedicine for Rural Enhanced Access in Community Health (OUTREACH) evaluating collaborative care for civilians with depression at Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHCs). Aim of study is to determine whether there are any significant differences in outcomes between the two population groups from each of the trials. Studies were conducted in the rural South.
Author(s): Kathleen M. Grubbs, John C. Fortney, Jeffrey Pyne, et al.
Citation: Psychiatric Services, 69(4), 431-437
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
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Together We Stride: A Quasi-Experimental Trial Testing the Effectiveness of a Multi-Level Obesity Intervention for Hispanic Children in Rural Communities
Explores the effectiveness of Together We STRIDE (Strategizing Together Relevant Interventions for Diet and Exercise), a multi-level community-based intervention to promote healthy eating habits, physical activity, and weight loss among Hispanic children living in rural Lower Yakima Valley communities in Washington.
Author(s): Linda K. Ko, Eileen Rillamas-Sun, Sonia Bishop, et al.
Citation: Contemporary Clinical Trials, 67, 81-86
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
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Disparities in Cancer Survival and Incidence by Metropolitan Versus Rural Residence in Utah
Examines differences in cancer incidence and 5-year cancer survival rates by metro and nonmetro Utah counties. Includes analysis describing disparities in cancer risk factors. Table 1 provides statistics on cancer patients living in rural and urban areas by race, treatment, age at diagnosis, stage, and insurance status. Table 3 compares 5-year cancer survival rates for metro and nonmetro counties.
Author(s): Mia Hashibe, Anne C. Kirchhoff, Deanna Kepka, et al.
Citation: Cancer Medicine, 7(4), 1490-1497
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
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