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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention

Connecting Unstably Housed Veterans Living in Rural Areas to Health Care: Perspectives From Health Care Navigators
Highlights a study of VA healthcare navigators (HCNs) effectiveness in helping rural veterans experiencing housing instability access healthcare services. Explores interpersonal, intrapersonal, and community-level barriers and facilitators to HCN services.
Author(s): Kalea Jones, Meagan Cusack, Gala True, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 59(S2), e14316
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
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Differential Effects of a Social Work Staffing Intervention on Social Work Access Among Rural and Highly Rural Veterans: A Cohort Study
Presents a study on the efficacy of a VA program to expand access of social work services to rural veterans. Draws data from VA sites that participated in the program from October 2016 to September 2021. Compares social worker utilization by rural and urban veterans and breaks down data by age, race, and reason for visit, among other factors.
Author(s): Andrew N. Honken, Christopher W. Halladay, Lisa E. Wootton, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 59(S2), e14327
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
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Culturally-Safe Maternal Care for Indigenous Women
Podcast episode discussing the role that culturally safe care can play in addressing maternal healthcare needs among Indigenous women. Describes the importance of awareness of cultural and spiritual practices in creating a safe cultural environment for Indigenous women.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Nirsevimab Effectiveness Against Medically Attended Respiratory Syncytial Virus Illness and Hospitalization Among Alaska Native Children — Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Region, Alaska, October 2023–June 2024
Reports on effectiveness of nirsevimab in preventing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) associated hospitalization for Alaska Native infants in their first RSV season and against medically attended illness for children in their first and second seasons in Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Includes data by community type for the hub town with regional hospital and outlying villages.
Author(s): Brian Lefferts, Sara Bressler, James W. Keck, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 73(45), 1015-1021
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and other Medicare Part B issues for calendar year 2025. Summarizes provisions related to telehealth services; advanced primary care management services; behavioral health services; opioid treatment programs; dental and oral health services; Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) care coordination services, telecommunication services, intensive outpatient program (IOP) services, and payment for vaccine costs; and more.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Final CY 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule: Fact Sheet
Fact sheet covering Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) telehealth policy changes for 2025 as outlined in the final calendar year (CY) 2025 Physician Fee Schedule. Covers audio-only telehealth; eligible services that can be delivered by telehealth; frequency limitations for inpatient visits, nursing facilities, and critical care consults; direct supervision through the use of live video; payment to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs); opioid treatment programs; and more.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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Serologic Evidence of Recent Infection with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5) Virus Among Dairy Workers — Michigan and Colorado, June–August 2024
Reports on recent highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) infection among dairy workers in Michigan and Colorado. Includes information on illness symptoms among those who had been infected, as well as job tasks with ill cows, personal protective equipment (PPE) use, and other animal exposures.
Author(s): Alexandra M. Mellis, Joseph Coyle, Kristen E. Marshall, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 73(44), 1004-1009
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Personal Protective Equipment Use by Dairy Farmworkers Exposed to Cows Infected with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Viruses — Colorado, 2024
Reports on Colorado dairy farmworkers' use of different types of personal protective equipment (PPE) and use of PPE for different job duties. Provides data on PPE use for those working with non-ill cows compared to those working with influenza A(H5N1)-infected cows in the week prior to and week after the infection was identified.
Author(s): Kristen E. Marshall, Cara C. Drehoff, Nisha Alden, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 73(44), 999-1003
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Transitional Palliative Care for Family Caregivers: Outcomes From a Randomized Controlled Trial
Examines the influence of mentoring from a palliative care nurse on family caregivers in rural and medically underserved areas of three states. Analyzes adult caregivers from 2018-2022 after their care recipient who utilized inpatient palliative care was discharged from the hospital. Compares a control group who received only monthly phone calls with an intervention group who received teaching, guidance, and counseling. Discusses importance of both caregiver support and patient wellness.
Author(s): Joan M. Griffin, Jay N. Mandrekar, Catherine E. Vanderboom, et al.
Citation: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 68(5), 456-466
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
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Reach, Adoption, Implementation, and Sustainability of the Mobile Health for Migrant Health (mHealth-4-Mhealth) Program: Nebraska, 2022‒2023
Assesses a mobile COVID-19 screening and resource sharing program for rural migrant families in Nebraska. Discusses the program's attempt to overcome barriers to healthcare for rural residents and migrants in those rural communities.
Author(s): Russell J. McCulloh, Ellen Kerns, Chad Abresch, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 114(11), 1212-1216
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
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