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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Veterans

Building an Adequate VA Care Network: Evaluating the Impact of Choice Providers
Discusses the impact of Veterans Affairs (VA) Choice providers on VA network adequacy. Focuses primarily on the impact of Choice providers located in areas of low VA network adequacy, such as rural areas and/or healthcare shortage areas.
Author(s): Evan Carey
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development Service
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Research Highlight: Identifying Barriers to Engagement in Mental Health Care: Perspectives of Rural Veterans and Providers
Describes a study of ways that attitudes influence treatment-seeking and use of mental health services among veterans in rural areas. Features results from interviews with 25 rural veterans and 11 rural mental healthcare providers in Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, and Wisconsin.
Author(s): Ellen P. Fischer, Jean C. McSweeney, Patricia Wright
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development Service
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Research Highlight: VHA-Indian Health Service Collaborations Reveal Opportunities to Improve Rural Health Care
Describes results of the expansion of the Veterans Administration Home Based Primary Care program to rural areas and to American Indian reservations, beginning in 2009.
Author(s): B. Josea Kramer, Debra Saliba
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development Service
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Research Highlight: The Virtual Specialty Care QUERI Program - Improving Access to High-Quality Specialty Care for Rural Veterans
Highlights the Virtual Specialty Care (VSC) QUERI Program, a measure to support operational partners, such as the Office of Rural Health, Office of Connected Care, and Mental Health Services, as virtual care technologies are implemented to increase access to specialty care for rural veterans. Discusses the challenges of evaluating rapidly evolving technologies without stifling their development.
Author(s): John Fortney, Greg Reger, Alexis Beatty
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development Service
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Veteran Suicide: A Growing Problem in Colorado
A suicide prevention brief demonstrating how rural veterans and active duty service members in Colorado are disproportionally affected by suicide. Discusses the mental health status of veterans and barriers to accessing mental health services. Describes several strategies and prevention programs to help prevent veteran suicide.
Author(s): Karam Ahmad, Jaclyn Zubrzycki, Ashlie Brown, et al.
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Health Institute
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Rural Promising Practice Issue Brief: IMPROVE: Integrated Management and Polypharmacy Review of Vulnerable Elders
Highlights a model for delivering integrated care management for older rural veterans with co-occurring chronic diseases. Presents methods for rural providers to help patients manage their prescriptions and avoid polypharmacy.
Additional links: Overview
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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Prevalence of and Interventions to Reduce Health Disparities in Vulnerable Veteran Populations: A Map of the Evidence
Identifies studies that examine disparities in utilization, quality of healthcare, or health of veterans, those that evaluate interventions that mitigate disparities in the Veterans Health Administration, and those examining health disparities. Features statistics on topics including health disparities according to rural residence or distance from a VHA Medical Center.
Author(s): Karli Kondo, Allison Low, Teresa Everson, et al.
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development Service
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Rural Promising Practice Issue Brief: Interdisciplinary Clinical Video - Telehealth for Geriatrics and Dementia
Highlights the development, implementation, and evaluation of an interdisciplinary telehealth program designed to help caregivers provide coordinated care for aging rural veterans suffering from dementia. Discusses the interdisciplinary team model comprised of social workers, geriatricians, primary care providers, and rural caregivers coordinating to maintain a uniform level of care. Includes outcomes regarding the increase of access to education and caregiver support, as well as the ability of providers to prescribe medication to rural patients.
Additional links: Overview
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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Lessons Learned: A Rural Case Study - Challenges Increasing Access to Dental Care Among Rural Veterans
Details the referral process initiated by the Grand Island Dental Outpatient Team in Nebraska for rural veterans who are ineligible for VA dental coverage to receive basic treatment from community dentists. Discusses some of the challenges to designing and implementing the program, such as establishing new partnerships with local dentists, adhering to a sustainable staffing plan, and pursuing data collection and analysis for measuring outcomes, among other factors.
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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Rural Promising Practice Issue Brief: Geriatric Walking Clinic: Meeting Rural Veterans Where They Are
Presents a model for improving the physical wellness of older rural veterans. Discusses program and patient outcomes, as well as implementation considerations.
Additional links: Overview
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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