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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Population health

Prioritizing Rural Populations in State Comprehensive Cancer Control Plans: A Qualitative Assessment
Discusses the development of comprehensive cancer control (CCC) plans at the state level to address rural health disparities. Reports on interviews with cancer control leaders about barriers and facilitators in creating CCC plans and the strategies to create effective partnerships and networks in rural areas.
Author(s): Rachel Hirschey, Catherine Rohweder, Whitney E. Zahnd, et al.
Citation: Cancer Causes & Control, 34, 159-169
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
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Utilizing Innovations In Telehealth To Advance The Care Of Patients In Congregate Settings
Webinar describing best practices, lessons learned, and innovations developed in telehealth mobile technologies to support clinical screening, treatment, and care of isolated, high-risk rural populations in prison and nursing home facilities.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Author(s): Michael Patterson, David C. Gordon
Date: 02/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center
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The Effect of Geographic Origin and Destination on Congenital Heart Disease Outcomes: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Examines surgical outcomes related to rural versus urban residence, distance to tertiary care, and reporting characteristics of associated surgical centers for Department of Defense (DoD) health insurance beneficiaries with congenital heart disease (CHD). Analyzes outcomes by cost, length of stay, readmission within 90 days, and patient mortality, further broken down by patient demographics, including rural-urban commuting area (RUCA).
Author(s): Spencer M. Millen, Cara H. Olsen, Ryan P. Flanagan, John S. Scott, Craig P. Dobson
Citation: BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, 23, 99
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
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How One New Mexico County is Taking a Community-Wide Approach to Treating Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders
Features a McKinley County, New Mexico community consortium that takes a holistic approach to recovery. Discusses the need for cultural understanding of Native culture in providing treatment services. Describes the growth of the collaboration over time and the range of local organizations involved.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Achieving Whole Health: A New Approach for Veterans and the Nation
Report offers guidance for providers both inside and outside of the VA for filling gaps in veterans healthcare. Discusses a team-based interprofessional care structure for preventing disease and promoting well-being. Highlights some considerations for providing a whole health approach for rural veterans as well.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Health Care Services
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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4C for Cherokee Children Cultural Connection
Discusses the trauma Cherokee children experience in the foster care system and a related program meant to mitigate the grief and loss after being removed from the home. Focuses on utilizing cultural knowledge to process trauma and improve physical and mental health.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Capacity Building Center for Tribes
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Factors Impacting Implementation of Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies in Rural Schools
Examines school policies and implementation related to nutrition and physical activity (PA) to understand the disproportionate rates of obesity in rural Latino children. Analyzes perceptions of policies and barriers from 20 interviews with stakeholders in Lower Yakima Valley of Eastern Washington State K-12 school districts. Discusses themes such as knowledge of school PA and nutrition policies as well as barriers and facilitators to policy implementation.
Author(s): Caryn Ausenhus, Joshua M. Gold, Cynthia K. Perry, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 23, 308
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
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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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Geography, Rurality, and Community Distress: Deaths Due to Suicide, Alcohol-Use, and Drug-Use among Colorado Veterans
Explores the connection between distressed communities and mortality disparities in the Colorado veteran population. Utilizes 2009-2020 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) to examine suicide, alcohol, and drug related mortalities, with demographic data broken down by sex, age, race/ethnicity, marital status, distressed community index (DCI), and frontier, rural, or urban location. Includes county-level maps showing DCI and rurality.
Author(s): Talia L. Spark, Colleen E. Reid, Rachel Sayko Adams, et al.
Citation: Injury Epidemiology, 10, 8
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
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Facing Unique Challenges, Rural Communities Find Unique Solutions to Protect Against Wildfire Smoke Exposure
Discusses the impact of wildfire smoke on health and describes efforts in rural Idaho, Nevada, and Washington to address air quality concerns.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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