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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Public health

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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Cross-Jurisdictional Resource Sharing in Local Health Departments: Implications for Services, Quality, and Cost
Examines Local Health Departments (LHDs) in Connecticut and Massachusetts and discusses how to increase capacity of public health systems in smaller municipalities. Analyzes 15 resource-sharing jurisdictions and 54 single-municipality jurisdictions and provides benefits and drawbacks of the 2 models. Includes data on demographic and organizational characteristics of independent and sharing municipalities including percentages of rural, suburban, and urban municipality type.
Author(s): Debbie L. Humphries, Justeen Hyde, Ethan Hahn, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 6(115), 1-13
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
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A Social–Contextual Investigation of Smoking among Rural Women: Multi-level Factors Associated with Smoking Status and Considerations for Cessation
Presents a study of the personal characteristics of women who use tobacco in the Appalachian region of Ohio. Breaks down data by education, marital status, household income, and employment, among other measures.
Author(s): Julianna M Nemeth, Tiffany L Thomson, Bo Lu, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 18(1)
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
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2018 Electronic Cigarette Use among Youth in Georgia
Features data on e-cigarette use among youth in Georgia. Compares usage rates with other forms of tobacco, as well as usage rates in urban versus rural areas.
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Department of Public Health
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Migrant Farmworkers' Perceptions of Pesticide Risk Exposure in Adams County, Pennsylvania: A Cultural Risk Assessment
Presents a study on the perceived environmental health risk of migrant farmworkers in rural Pennsylvania. Discusses the ways different cultures perceive risk and the socioeconomic status of the participants as factors in the study's conclusions.
Author(s): Micaela Edelson, Salma Monani, Rutherford V. Platt
Citation: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 8(1), 71-96
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
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Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-123): CHIP, Public Health, Home Visiting, and Medicaid Provisions in Division E
Highlights a report on the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. Details appropriations for Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, public health, and other provisions in Division E. Provides some discussion of the effect of these appropriations on rural communities.
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Combating the Opioid Crisis: Prevention and Public Health Solutions
Presents the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on preventative measures and the role of public health in combating the opioid crisis. Features testimony from representatives of the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and the National Indian Health Board, among others.
Additional links: Michael E. Kilkenny Testimony, Stacy Bohlen Testimony
Date: 03/2018
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Health
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Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-123): Brief Summary of Division E--The Advancing Chronic Care, Extenders, and Social Services (ACCESS) Act
Brief summary of ACCESS Act provisions, and names of experts knowledgeable about each point. Topics include Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), public health, child and family services, foster care, social impact partnerships, child support enforcement, and prison data reporting. Features provisions specific to institutions and services in rural areas, including hospitals, home health, and ambulance services.
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Notes from the Field: HIV Infection Investigation in a Rural Area — West Virginia, 2017
Reports on an investigation by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources that began with 10 cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection identified in three counties during January-July 2017. Describes how the investigation broadened to 15 counties based on injection drug use and sexual contacts. Identifies risk reduction and treatment options available in these counties and discusses strategies undertaken to limit further transmission of HIV.
Author(s): Mary E. Evans, Sarah M. Labuda, Vicki Hogan, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 67(8), 257-258
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Vaccine-Preventable, Hospitalizations among American Indian/Alaska Native Children Using the 2012 Kid's Inpatient Database
Explores health disparities in American Indian (AI) children related to vaccine-preventable infectious disease (VP-ID) hospitalizations. Utilizes the Kid's Inpatient Database (KID) to examine 12,732 VP-ID hospitalizations in 2012. Includes demographic breakdowns of hospitalized patients according to racial/ethnic group, age, sex, household income, geographic location, and metropolitan versus nonmetropolitan location.
Author(s): Amanda J. Nickel, Susan E. Puumala, Anupam B. Kharbanda
Citation: Vaccine, 36(7), 945-948
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
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