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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Public health

Water Fluoridation and Dental Health Indicators in Rural and Urban Areas of the United States
Investigates the availability of fluoridated water across urban-rural settings, and relates measures of fluoride availability to national survey measures of dental health in adults and children.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Michael Hendryx, Constance Weiner, Matthew Gurka
Date: 11/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
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Tuberculosis in Indigenous Peoples in the U.S., 2003-2008
Examines trends and epidemiology of TB, showing disparities across racial/ethnic groups in the United States, with focus on American Indian/Alaska Native populations as a group and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander populations as a group. Features statistical breakdowns including sex, age group, TB case rates, social and behavioral characteristics, and treatment characteristics.
Author(s): Emily Bloss, Timothy H. Holtz, John Jereb, et al.
Citation: Public Health Reports, 126(5)
Date: 09/2011
Type: Document
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Disparities in Infectious Disease Hospitalizations for American Indian/Alaska Native People
Analyzes 1998-2006 hospital discharge data, comparing infectious disease rates for American Indian/Alaska Native people with the general U.S. population. Includes breakdowns by type of infection, sex, age group, Indian Health Service region, hospitalization rates per capita, and diagnosis.
Author(s): Robert C. Holman, Arianne M. Folkema, Rosalyn J. Singleton, et al.
Citation: Public Health Reports, 126(4)
Date: 07/2011
Type: Document
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Environmental Workforce Characteristics in the Rural Public Health Sector
Analyzes the environmental workforce characteristics of the rural public health sector to inform policy relative to coordination of rural environmental health services. Addresses environmental activities performed by local health departments.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Cynthia Armstrong Persily, Johnna S. Beane, Mary Glenn Rice
Date: 06/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
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Altitude, Gun Ownership, Rural Areas, and Suicide
Analyzes the relationship between the mean county and state altitude with total age-adjusted firearm and non-firearm suicide rates, gun ownership, and population densities within the western part of the United States.
Author(s): Namkug Kim, Jennie B. Mickelson, Barry E. Brenner, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Psychiatry, 168(1), 49-54
Date: 01/2011
Type: Document
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Distance Traveled and Cross-state Commuting to Opioid Treatment Programs in the United States
Presents a study on commuting distance of patients in opioid treatment programs (OTP). Analyzes data collected from 23,141 methadone patients enrolled in 84 OTP centers across the U.S. from 2005-2009.
Author(s): Andrew Rosenblum, Charles M. Cleland, Chunki Fong, et al.
Citation: Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2011, 948789
Date: 2011
Type: Document
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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010: Impacts on Rural People, Places, and Providers: A First Look
Summarizes six issue areas of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and discusses implications for access to services and improving the health status of rural residents. These issue areas are: health insurance coverage; Medicare and Medicaid payment; quality, financing, and delivery system reform; public health; healthcare workforce; and long-term care.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Jennifer P. Lundblad, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 09/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Viral Hepatitis and Injection Drug Use in Appalachian Kentucky: A Survey of Rural Health Department Clients
Analysis of demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral data from patients screened for hepatitis B and hepatitis C at four health departments in rural Kentucky in 2006-2007. Includes statistical breakdowns by sex, age group, education, employment, marital status, government assistance, insurance, and various risk factors linked to drug use and sexual activity.
Author(s): W. Jay Christian, Claudia Hopenhayn, Amy Christian, Deana McIntosh, Alvaro Koch
Citation: Public Health Reports, 125(1)
Date: 01/2010
Type: Document
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Deaths Related to 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) Among American Indian / Alaska Natives -- 12 States, 2009
Examines H1N1 influenza mortality among American Indians and Alaska Natives compared to other racial/ethnic populations, based on data from 12 participating states.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 58(48), 1341-1344
Date: 12/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Vulnerable Populations in Tribal Communities
Highlights potential problems when identifying and providing public health services for certain groups within the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population. Outlines pandemic influenza preparedness resources for those providing services to the AI/AN population.
Author(s): Amy Groom, Cheyenne Jim, Mic LaRoque, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 99(Suppl 2), S271-S278
Date: 10/2009
Type: Document
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