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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Examining Substance Use Disorder Treatment Demand and Provider Capacity in a Changing Health Care System: Final Report
Assesses demand and capacity for substance use disorder treatment, with comparisons between years 2013 and 2016. Features statistics including numbers of clients, staff hours, percentage of facilities offering pharmacotherapies and accepting various insurance types, and distribution of specialty treatments, with breakdowns by urban and rural locations.
Author(s): Ellen Bouchery
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Addressing Health Inequities in New Mexico: The Role of the New Mexico Public Health Institute
Examines contributors to rural/urban and racial health disparities in New Mexico and identifies priorities for addressing them. Discusses demographics, socioeconomic factors, infrastructure, health disparities, and the physical environment. Reports on current population health efforts and identifies gaps.
Author(s): Renee T. Despres
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Innovation
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Understanding the Impact of Suicide In Rural America
Analyzes suicide rates and the impact of suicide in rural areas, highlights suicide in tribal communities and suicide prevention among U.S. veterans. Covers state and federal prevention strategies and discusses recommendations for research and evaluation, and outreach, promotion, and awareness.
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Chartbook: Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in a Changing Kansas
Examines trends in demographics, the social determinants of health, and health outcomes in Kansas. Includes statistics and data with a rural versus urban comparison on: population characteristics; education; income, employment, and insurance; housing and household characteristics; nutrition, physical activity, and related outcomes; substance use; healthcare and preventive services; disease and disability; births; and mortality.
Additional links: Appendix A. Population Characteristics, Appendix B. Education, Appendix C. Income, Employment, and Insurance, Appendix D. Housing and Housing Characteristics, Appendix E. Disease and Disability, Appendix F. Births, Appendix G: Mortality, Appendix H: Technical Notes
Author(s): Lawrence John Panas
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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Overview of Operating Room Procedures During Inpatient Stays in U.S. Hospitals, 2014
Examines the characteristics, costs, and volume of operating room (OR) procedures in the inpatient setting, presenting data from U.S. hospitals in 2014. Includes a breakdown of inpatient stays with and without OR procedures, based upon metro or nonmetro (rural) patient residence.
Author(s): Kimberly W. McDermott, William J. Freeman, Anne Elixhauser
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Rural Health Research Recap: Rural Hospital Closures
Summarizes key findings from the Rural Health Research Centers' most recent research on rural hospital closures. Discusses hospitals by U.S. census region, rural hospital closures between 2005 and 2017, urban and rural hospital profitability, and the financial distress index. Provides links to each of the referenced source documents.
Author(s): Shawnda Schroeder
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Rural Households Account for Nearly One-fifth of U.S. Food-Insecure Households
Pie chart showing the proportion of food insecure households in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in 2016.
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Mortality Rates Have Increased for Working-age Rural Adults Since 2000
Line chart showing the change in mortality rates for nonmetropolitan and metropolitan residents, comparing 3-year averages for 1999-2001 and 2013-2015. Data is presented by age group.
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Characteristics of Inpatient Stays Involving Hepatitis C, 2005-2014
Examines adult hospitalizations involving hepatitis C in 2014. Includes data by age group for hepatitis C inpatient stays for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore (rural) areas.
Author(s): Quyen Ngo-Metzger, Iris Mabry-Hernandez, Kevin C. Heslin, et al.
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Behavioral, Mental, and Physical Health Characteristics and Opioid Medication Misuse among Community Pharmacy Patients: A Latent Class Analysis
Study of opioid misuse risk factors based on mental, behavioral, and physical health characteristics for patients in 2 rural and 2 urban Pennsylvania counties. Uses latent class analysis methodology to identify combinations of indicators that may be visible to pharmacists and that may suggest increased risk of opioid misuse, including age, employment, whether a pharmacy is in a rural area, and education level.
Author(s): Gerald Cochran, Valerie Hruschak, Jennifer L. Bacci, Kenneth C. Hohmeier, Ralph Tarter
Citation: Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 13(6), 1055-1061
Date: 11/2017
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