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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Veterans

Veterans Are Positioned To Contribute Economically to Rural Communities
Describes the geographic distribution of rural working age and elderly veterans. Identifies the employment sectors where rural veterans work, including their contribution to education and health-related occupations. Compares the earnings of rural veterans and nonveterans by employment sector.
Author(s): Tracey Farrigan
Citation: Amber Waves
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Response to Commentary: Partnered Research to Improve Health of Rural Veterans
Describes how VA-funded Centers of Innovation (COINs) develop strategies optimizing care for veterans in rural areas. Focuses on programs in Salt Lake City, Utah; West Haven, Connecticut; and North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Author(s): Teresa Hudson
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development Service
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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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