July 15, 2020
Advance care planning — planning for decision-making in times of medical crisis — has always been intended for all people, all ages, with or without a chronic disease. Clinicians talk about the challenges of these conversations now that COVID-19 has nudged planning from the realm of the theoretical future to current reality.
July 1, 2020
Butler Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania received a HRSA Rural Health Care Services Outreach grant to develop a program for chronic disease patients. Partway through the grant cycle, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The hospital shares how it was able to transition its program services to an online format and develop new initiatives to address stress in the healthcare workforce and the larger community.
June 17, 2020
It is the most costly of chronic medical conditions. Described by some as "hidden" conditions, experts talk about the complex needs of rural Americans with Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias and their caregivers.
May 20, 2020
Brock Slabach, the National Rural Health Association's Senior Vice President for Member Services, discusses the impact of COVID-19 on rural America's healthcare organizations.
February 26, 2020
A Federally Qualified Health Center used grant support to provide primary care oral health assessment and fluoride varnishes in 12 school-based health centers in nine Louisiana parishes, hoping to provide thousands of children with better oral health in the present as well as into adulthood.
January 22, 2020
Over 40% of today's physicians are burned out. A closer look at research indicates that not only is this a system problem rather than an individual problem, but that burnout impacts a system's revenue streams, healthcare quality, and patient safety and satisfaction. Experts suggest the problem may even be of more concern in rural areas.
November 20, 2019
Chronic obstructive lung disease, or COPD, is a disease with a stronghold in rural America: almost double the prevalence and double the mortality rates compared to large urban areas. Though it is a condition with no cure, it's a condition that has treatments — and hope — making proper diagnosis by spirometry imperative.
September 25, 2019
Vaccination rates for rural children and adolescents are lower than for their urban counterparts. A nurse practitioner in Louisiana and a former professor in Kentucky share how they've increased vaccination rates in their communities.
September 11, 2019
Healthcare workers are four times more likely to be seriously injured on the job than other professionals. Research, tools, and campaigns are equipping rural hospital leaders to better protect their employees and develop a culture of safety.
July 10, 2019
As more healthcare delivery efforts include social risk assessments, the impact of the social determinants of health is better understood. Rural clinicians, researchers, and other experts share perspectives on social isolation and loneliness.
