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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Impact of COVID-19 on Clinical Trials Costs to Patients
Examines the direct and indirect costs of COVID-19 clinical trial participation to patients and the impact of utilizing remote technologies. Presents an environmental scan of articles published between 2010 and 2023 and discusses barriers to clinical trial participation experienced by underrepresented and rural populations.
Author(s): Keri Calkins, Emily Crabtree, Emily Harrison, Nyna Williams, Kirsten Barrett
Date: 06/2025
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Mathematica
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Screening and Referral Programs for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease: Can Community Pharmacists Bridge the Care Gap?
Examines the community-based valued-driven care initiative (CVCI) in community pharmacies to evaluate its effectiveness related to screening and referral (S&R) to treat cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM). Analyzes patient demographics and success rates of CVD and DM S&R in 6 community pharmacies, with both rural and urban locations represented.
Author(s): Melanie Livet, Amber Watson, Shweta Pathak, et al.
Citation: Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, 17, 100539
Date: 03/2025
Type: Document
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Using Social Risks to Predict Unplanned Hospital Readmission and Emergency Care Among Hospitalized Veterans
Examines the correlation of hospital readmission rates of veterans and social risk. Utilizes 2016-2022 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) data to create a social risk index, focusing on domains such as psychosocial, financial, housing, food insecurity, violence, access to care, neighborhood deprivation, and more. Includes breakdowns of social risk according to sociodemographic variables, VA priority enrollment, hospital readmission, and rural, highly rural, or urban.
Author(s): Portia Y. Cornell, Cassandra L. Hua, Zachary M. Buchalksi, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 60(1)
Date: 02/2025
Type: Document
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Trends and Patterns of Job Quality in the United States
Studies job quality trends including wage levels, employer sponsored health insurance, and retirement benefits between 2000 and 2022 for workers in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Also considers other factors such as race and ethnicity, sex, and industry.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): Ephraim M. Nkonya, John Pender
Date: 01/2025
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Number of Census Tracts Classified Low Income and Low Access to Foodstores Increased in U.S. Urban and Rural Areas from 2015 to 2019
Bar chart comparing number of rural and urban census tracts classified as either or both low-income and low foodstore access between 2015 and 2019. Discusses reasons for the changes over time.
Author(s): Alana Rhone, Clio Polanco Cercado
Date: 01/2025
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Eighth Biennial Report 2025: Health Issues for the State of North Dakota
Updates the previous seven editions of this report with a comprehensive examination of healthcare workforce licensure data related to number of licensed professionals, locations, specialties, and demographics in rural and urban North Dakota. Includes three new chapters on indigenous health, women's and children's health, and the community impacts of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 01/2025
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences
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Evaluating Access to Psychosocial Services for the Medicaid-Insured Children in Georgia
Assesses mental health workforce supply and demand for psychosocial services for the Medicaid-insured children in Georgia, and examines the impact of policy interventions to increase availability of services for the Medicaid-insured population. Analyzes factors associated with unmet demand, including data on rurality, travel distance, and more.
Author(s): Yujia Xie, Pravara Harati, Janani Rajbhandari-Thapa, Nicoleta Serban
Citation: BMC Public Health, 25, 244
Date: 01/2025
Type: Document
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Predictors of County-Level Diabetes-Related Mortality Risks in Florida, USA: A Retrospective Ecological Study
Examines geographic disparities in diabetes-related mortality risk (DRMR) in Florida. Explores the association between county-level factors and DRMR, including data on rurality, age, health behaviors, and more.
Author(s): Nirmalendu Deb Nath, Agricola Odoi
Citation: PeerJ Life & Environment, 13, e18537
Date: 01/2025
Type: Document
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Behavioral Health Diagnosis, Service Utilization, and Spending Among Older Adult Medicare Beneficiaries: A Chartbook
Examines the prevalence of behavioral health (BH) conditions among older adults. Utilizes 2017-2019 Medicare claims and administrative data to examine BH diagnoses, BH service utilization, cost of services, and more. Includes data breakdowns according to diagnosis, substance use, rates of diagnoses and service utilization, service type, rurality, and additional demographic factors.
Date: 01/2025
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Examining Differences in Rural and Urban Medicare FFS Beneficiaries' Emergency Department Use Before and During Covid
Results of a study describing changes from 2018-2022 in emergency department use among rural and urban Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) beneficiaries. Features statistics including patient demographics, primary diagnoses, and admission sources, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Alana Knudson, Craig D. Holden, Marilyn Klug, Tricia Stauffer, Shena Popat
Date: 01/2025
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
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