Top 10 Rural Monitor Articles of 2021

Here is a countdown of the most-read articles of the year:

#10 – It Takes a Village: Rural Recruitment and Retention

Healthcare facilities in Kansas and North Dakota and national organizations discuss the challenges of recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals in rural areas and share solutions, including partnering with local schools and businesses as well as other healthcare facilities.

Published November 3, 2021

#9 – CHWs At Work: Making a Difference for Oklahoma's Marshallese Community

With federal funds supporting its implementation in Oklahoma's Marshallese community, a Community Health Worker model exemplifies how culturally sensitive education can improve healthcare access, health literacy, and health outcomes.

Published March 17, 2021

#8 – Pulmonary Rehabilitation: Benefiting Rural Individuals, Benefiting Rural Population Health

On the list of leading causes of death, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, impacts millions of rural Americans and their quality of life. Though limited treatments are available for COPD, research indicates that pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) provides major benefits, yet is currently under-prescribed and facing challenges from COVID-19 and from reimbursement policies. Researchers discuss the potential that tele-PR might bring to rural areas, and rural healthcare leaders highlight the benefits of their PR programs for service areas.

Published June 30, 2021

#7 – Doulas Provide Support for Maternal and Infant Health in Rural Communities

Three programs across rural America demonstrate how doulas improve birth outcomes by providing prenatal, labor, and postpartum support. A New Mexico program reaches American Indian, Hispanic, and other populations who lack nearby labor/delivery units; a Minnesota program works with moms experiencing incarceration; and a North Dakota program is training postpartum doulas who will care for families impacted by opioid use disorder and other substance use.

Published October 6, 2021

#6 – Federal Agencies' Investment in Rural Cancer Control Fosters Partnerships between Researchers and Rural Communities

Researchers and rural communities are working together to address rural cancer prevention and control, with federal funding supporting a wide range of projects. From targeting health behaviors, to making cancer screening and vaccination more accessible, to increasing rural participation in clinical trials, efforts to reduce rural cancer burden are underway across the country.

Published July 28, 2021

#5 – Remote Patient Monitoring Helps Rural Patients Recover at Home

Essentia Health created the Remote Patient Monitoring program to allow some patients to recover at home while still having access to medical attention. Program launch was accelerated to treat COVID-19 patients, but Essentia plans to continue the program after the pandemic to treat other chronic diseases.

Published July 14, 2021

#4 – Creating New Rural Residency Programs: Three Grantees Share Their Stories

HRSA's Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Program supports organizations developing new rural residency programs. Three grantees — St. Luke's University Health Network in Pennsylvania, Baptist Memorial Hospital in Mississippi, and Sutter Health in California — share what the RRPD grant has allowed them to accomplish so far.

Published September 22, 2021

#3 – Still Stealing Rural America's Breath: An Update on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a condition that continues to steal rural America's breath. Researchers, philanthropists, and healthcare professionals talk about new rural research efforts and the impact of COVID-19 on COPD. Also discussed is the importance of pulmonary rehabilitation, an impactful treatment long known to improve quality of life and now backed by new research proving it decreases death rates in select patients.

Published June 16, 2021

#2 – Vaccinating Rural America: Q&A with Dr. Amanda Cohn

Amanda Cohn, MD, Chief Medical Officer on CDC's COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, shares how the CDC is providing funding, creating resources, and partnering with other organizations to increase vaccination rates in underserved communities such as rural, tribal, and communities of color.

Published May 12, 2021 

#1 – Understanding the Rural Swing Bed: More than Just a Reimbursement Policy

"Swing bed" is that oft-heard phrase describing not a physical hospital bed, but post-acute care for the rural patient who is well enough to leave the acute care hospital but not well enough to be safe at home. In this 2-part story, experts and hospital administrators review the swing bed program's historical implementation and provide stories and examples of the value this over 40-year-old healthcare delivery and reimbursement model brings to patients, to the hospitals providing their care, and ultimately to rural communities. In a related article, History of the Swing Bed: A Look Through the Rural Rearview Mirror, experts describe early implementation of the program and key program elements that have sustained its success.

Published August 11, 2021