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Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document

Disaster Recovery: School Districts in Socially Vulnerable Communities Faced Heightened Challenges after Recent Natural Disasters
Examines 5 school districts in socially vulnerable communities and describes problems faced by students after disasters, including housing instability, food insecurity, and lack of access to mental health services, especially in rural communities. Includes a state- and territory-level map showing school districts that received federal recovery grants for 2017-2019 presidentially-declared disasters.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Prescription Drug Affordability among Medicare Beneficiaries
Examines the affordability of prescription drugs among Medicare beneficiaries. Explores whether Medicare beneficiaries skipped doses, took less medication, delayed filling a prescription, or did not fill needed prescriptions due to cost concerns. Explores affordability concerns by race and ethnicity, sex, family income, urban versus rural counties, and presence of select chronic conditions.
Author(s): Wafa Tarazi, Kenneth Finegold, Steven Sheingold, Nancy De Lew, Benjamin D. Sommers
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Impact of Assistance Programs on Indigenous Ways of Life in 12 Rural Remote Western Alaska Native Communities: Elder Perspectives Shared in Formative Work for the "Got Neqpiaq?" Project
Explores a study evaluating the perception of Alaska Native elders from the Yukon-Kuskokwim area of Alaska on the efficacy and cultural competence of government assistance programs. Discusses and evaluates a number of programs, such as Head Start, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), among others.
Author(s): Amanda K. Walch, Kathryn A. Ohle, Kathryn R. Koller, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 81(1)
Date: 01/2022
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Weaving Pathways: Talking with Our Elders
Highlights a program aimed at increasing end-of-life planning in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Explores the barriers to AI/AN elders creating healthcare directives, the lessons learn from the initial pilot program, and the program's impact.
Author(s): Mary J. Owen, Peter M. Nalin, Charlie A. Bouverette, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 22(1)
Date: 01/2022
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Optimizing Care Coordination to Address Social Determinants of Health Needs for Dual-Use Veterans
Explores a study evaluating a care coordination program that aims to address social determinants of health (SDOH) for veterans who use both Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities and non-VA hospitals. Highlights the social worker-led program to help address SDOH factors, such as connecting veterans with transportation, homelessness resources, and financial assistance, among others. Discusses the role rurality plays in veterans' ability to access services and care.
Author(s): Heidi Sjoberg, Wenhui Liu, Carly Rohs, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 22(59)
Date: 01/2022
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Geospatial Analysis of Access to Emergency Cesarean Delivery for Military and Civilian Populations in the US
Results of a study of 29 military medical treatment facilities (MTFs) and 2,363 civilian hospitals, to identify opportunities for military-civilian partnership in obstetric care and to assess whether civilian use of MTFs could improve access to emergency cesarean delivery care, particularly for women in rural areas. Features a county-level map showing coverage of population within a 30-minute travel time to a facility providing emergency cesarean delivery care, and statistics on travel time coverage to civilian hospitals and MTFs providing emergency cesarean delivery care.
Author(s): Tarsicio Uribe-Leitz, Bridget Matsas, Michael K. Dalton, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 5(1)
Date: 01/2022
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Coordinated Speech Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Pharmaceutical Care Telehealth for People with Parkinson Disease in Rural Communities: An Exploratory, 8-Week Cohort Study for Feasibility, Safety, and Signal of Efficacy
Study examining telehealth care for rural patients with Parkinson disease based on an evaluation of a telehealth pilot with 15 participants in Wyoming and Nevada. Evaluates outcomes related to speech therapy, physiotherapy, pharmaceutical care components of the program, and discusses the signal of efficacy for the intervention.
Author(s): Mary Jo Cooley Hidecker, Merrill R. Landers, Annalisa Piccorelli, Erin Bush, Reshmi Singh
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 22, 6679
Date: 01/2022
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Association Between County-Level Risk Groups and COVID-19 Outcomes in the United States: A Socioecological Study
Analysis of 2,701 counties from January 2020 to February 2021 to identify distinct groups of counties, based on sociodemographic, health, and environmental domains and the association with COVID-19 cases and deaths. Features statistics and county-level maps showing rates of COVID-19 cases, rates of COVID-19 deaths, and county-level risk factors with breakdowns including rural counties with social and medical vulnerabilities and older rural counties with greater social assets.
Author(s): Sadiya S. Khan, Amy E. Krefman, Megan E. McCabe, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 22, 81
Date: 01/2022
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Report to Congress on Leveraging Federal Programs to Prevent and Control Diabetes and Its Complications, 2021
Report examining diabetes prevalence and health impact nationwide, offering recommendations for reducing risks, preventing type 2 diabetes, and treating and managing diabetes. Discusses diabetes and other chronic conditions in rural areas, rural health disparities, and rural-specific recommendations for prevention and management.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organizations: National Clinical Care Commission, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Evaluation of State-Led Surveillance of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome — Six U.S. States, 2018–2021
Examines data collection challenges and infrastructure gaps that impact surveillance of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), based on information from six states with mandated NAS reporting. Includes brief discussion of rural concerns, including disparities in the incidence of opioid use disorder and NAS and gaps in rural infrastructure and access to care.
Author(s): Shahla M. Jilani, Kristina West, Laura Jacobus-Kantor, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(2), 37-42
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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