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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Racial and ethnic groups

Vitamin D Levels and SARS-CoV-2 Infection among Medically Underserved Populations in the Minority and Rural Coronavirus Insights Study
Analyzes associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection and vitamin D status among 3187 Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) patients, with comparisons by race and other demographic factors. Discusses COVID-19 disparities among underserved populations. Includes data on SARS-CoV-2 infection and vitamin D deficiency among rural people.
Author(s): Makella S. Coudray, Shantoy Hansel, Salvatore Alesci, et al.
Citation: Viruses, 16(4), 639
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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The Cost-Efficacy of a Healthy Food Box for Managing Hypertension Within a Native American Population: A Group Randomized Controlled Trial
Evaluates the cost-efficacy of healthy food delivery and fruit and vegetable vouchers aimed at reducing hypertension in the Chickasaw Nation. Includes data on blood pressure and quality of life. Discusses the importance of food environment to cardiovascular disease reduction in rural and tribal areas.
Author(s): Austin Henderson, Robert Rosenman, Amber L. Fyfe-Johnson, et al.
Citation: Archives of Public Health, 82, 59
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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Systemic Effects of the COVID Pandemic on Rural Black American Men's Interpersonal Relationships: A Phenomenological Examination
Evaluates the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on Black men's relational health from interviews conducted in 2020 and 2021 with 17 Black men living in rural Georgia. Includes discussion of mental health, interpersonal and health behaviors, and the significance of Black men's cultural experiences for pandemic recovery interventions.
Author(s): Michael G. Curtis, Elizabeth Wieling, Chalandra Bryant, Rosalyn Denise Campbell, Steven M. Kogan
Citation: PLoS ONE, 19(4), e0297876
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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Utah Latina/o/x Suicide Decedents Less Likely to Die by Firearm, Even in Rural Areas: Examining Population-wide Data From the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner
Highlights a study on the firearm-based suicide rate among Latina/o/x populations in rural areas. Explores the rate of rural people of Latina/o/x ethnicity who commit suicide by firearm and the percentage of rural people who commit suicide by firearm who are of Latina/o/x ethnicity.
Author(s): Douglas Tharp, Evan V. Goldstein, Richard M. Medina, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 12
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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USDA Rural Utilities Service's Support for Tribes and Other Indigenous Entities
Provides an overview of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) programs that help offset the costs of building and repairing utility systems in rural areas. Describes the types of tribal and other Indigenous entities eligible to apply for RUS programs. Highlights two USDA Rural Development authorities that can help tribes and other Indigenous entities access RUS programs. Outlines issues Congress may consider if it chooses to constrict, maintain, or expand the laws governing these programs.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Indian Health Service Memorandum of Understanding - Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2023
Annual report details the accomplishments of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) via their memorandum of understanding. Highlights the ways the VA and IHS have worked together to deliver healthcare to American Indian and Alaska Native veterans and discusses future collaborations.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Indian Health Service Health Equity Report
Reports on efforts to advance health equity in the Indian Health Service (IHS). Discusses strategies and funding supporting access to facilities and services, quality of care, cultural appropriateness, wellness and disease prevention, and more.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Indian Health Service
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Disadvantaged Groups Have Greater Spatial Access to Pharmacies in New York State
Examines spatial pharmacy access in low-income and racial minority communities across New York State. Utilizes population weighted mean shortest road network distance (PWMSD) to examine distance to closest pharmacy. Includes Census Tract-level maps showing demographics such as poverty, education level, Black, and Hispanic/Latino quartile percentages and the correlation to pharmacy access. Includes discussion about how rurality factors into pharmacy access for disadvantaged groups.
Author(s): Abhinav Suri, James Quinn, Raymond R. Balise, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 24, 471
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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Indian Health Service: Opportunities Exist to Improve Clinician Screening Adherence and Oversight
Examines the Indian Health Service's (IHS) oversight of the credentialing and privileging process that reviews and verifies the professional qualifications of IHS physicians. Describes administrative tasks performed by IHS clinicians at federally operated facilities and the amount of time spent on these tasks. Offers recommendations to IHS, including the development of a single, authoritative source outlining procedures to meet credentialing and privileging requirements.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Communities Need Safe Drinking Water: A Rural Environmental Justice Case Study
Discusses access to clean drinking water in rural, underserved communities and Native nations, and presents case studies of communities working to improve environmental health equity. Features the Environmental Justice Community Action Network (EJCAN) of North Carolina, the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) of the Native Village of Hooper Bay, Alaska, and community leaders in Ivanhoe, North Carolina.
Author(s): Rebecca Huenink
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute
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