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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Severe Maternal Morbidity in Tennessee, 2018-2022
Focuses on severe maternal morbidity (SMM) occurring during hospitalizations for childbirth in Tennessee, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Features statistics including SMM rates by maternal residence, with breakdowns by urban, urban adjacent, and rural counties.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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Mapping Maternity Care Deserts: Driving Distance and Health Outcomes in North Carolina
Examines the relationship between maternity care deserts in North Carolina and maternal and infant health. Utilizes 2016-2021 hospitalization records to examine travel distance to care and health outcomes such as cesarean delivery rates, severe maternal morbidity, and hypertension. Discusses maternal health access issues across rural-urban commuting (RUCA) codes.
Author(s): Margaret Sugg, Shishir Shakya, Sarah Ulrich, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(2)
Date: 04/2025
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Social Determinants of Health and Variability in Treatment for Patients with Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Examines census tract-level social determinants of health (SDOH) and their impact on lung cancer treatment. Utilizes 2017-2022 Syapse Learning Health Network data to analyze patient social and demographic variables, housing burden, broadband internet access, primary care shortage areas, and rurality, as correlated with radiation therapy and/or surgery.
Author(s): Molly Scannell Bryan, Xiaohan Hu, Monika A. Izano, et al.
Citation: JNCI Cancer Spectrum, 9(2)
Date: 04/2025
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Chronic Disease Prevalence among New Mexican Adults: Results from the 2023 New Mexico Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Reports on chronic health conditions in New Mexico using New Mexico Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (NM BRFSS) data. Covers conditions including arthritis, respiratory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, depression, and more. Provides data breakdowns for each condition by level of rurality and other demographics.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Department of Health
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Most People in the Most Rural Counties Get Medicare Coverage from Traditional Medicare
Examines the percentage of eligible Medicare beneficiaries with traditional Medicare versus Medicare Advantage at the county level. Compares type of Medicare coverage by rural non-adjacent, rural adjacent, and urban county classification.
Author(s): Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Meredith Freed, Nolan Sroczynski, Tricia Neuman
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Rural-Urban Disparities in Hospitalisation for Myocardial Infarction in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in the USA
Examines rural-urban disparities in hospitalization for myocardial infarction among people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), utilizing 2016-2019 National Inpatient Sample data. Analyzes demographic factors, including sex and geographic region, associated with increased risk of hospitalization.
Author(s): Jasvinder A. Singh, Sumanth Chandrupatla
Citation: Lupus Science & Medicine, 12, e001516
Date: 04/2025
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Primary Care Workforce in Illinois Counties, Demand and Supply
Examines primary care workforce supply and demand in Illinois. Provides county-level data on number of primary care physicians (PCPs), physician assistants (PAs), and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with metro versus nonmetro county comparisons.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Stand-Alone Drug Plans Cover a Larger Share of Medicare Part D Enrollees Living in the Most Rural Areas Than Medicare Advantage Plans
Examines Medicare Part D enrollment in stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage drug plans in 2025. Presents data by urban, rural adjacent, and rural non-adjacent status nationally and by state.
Author(s): Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman, Anthony Damico
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Resilient, Engaged and Connected (REC) Study: Protocol for a Type 2 Cluster-Randomised Trial of the Chicago Parent Program in Prekindergarten in Low-Income Urban and Rural Communities
Provides an overview of a intervention that aims to improve social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) readiness in pre-kindergarten (PreK) children by supporting and engaging low-income parents. Utilizes a mixed methods study design to examine PreK readiness in rural and urban children in Maryland when implementing an evidence-based SEB parenting program.
Author(s): Deborah Gross, Susan M. Breitenstein, Lieny Jeon, et al.
Citation: BMJ Open, 15(4)
Date: 04/2025
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10 Things to Know About Rural Hospitals
Presents information and data on rural hospitals and rural hospital finances. Compares insurance coverage of discharges and births, margins, and the impact of Medicaid expansion by hospitals' rural and urban location. Includes information on rural hospital closures and Medicare special payment designations for rural hospitals. Discusses the potential impacts of recent federal spending proposals on rural hospitals.
Author(s): Scott Hulver, Zachary Levinson, Jamie Godwin, Tricia Neuman
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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