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Healthcare Access in Rural Communities – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Healthcare Access in Rural Communities.

How Might Internet Connectivity Affect Health Care Access?
Describes how a lack of internet access may negatively impact access to healthcare. Features data and statistics on internet access, with information broken down by race/ethnicity, age, poverty level, insurance status and type, and metropolitan/nonmetropolitan location. Discusses COVID-19 and how social distancing measures have led to increased implementation of telehealth, resulting in additional challenges accessing healthcare among people with little to no internet connectivity.
Author(s): Krutika Amin, Matthew Rae, Giorlando Ramirez, Cynthia Cox
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve Maternal Health
Describes the state of maternal health in the United States, including data and statistics on mortality and morbidity. Discusses risks to maternal health, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, infectious diseases, mental health conditions, intimate partner violence, and more. Recommends strategies and actions that individuals, organizations, and communities can implement to improve maternal health and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Healthy Women, Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Futures: Action Plan to Improve Maternal Health in America
Action plan outlining steps the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is taking to reduce maternal mortality and address disparities that endanger women before, during, and following pregnancy. Four main goals include: improving prevention and treatment services to promote positive health outcomes for every woman of reproductive age; prioritizing quality improvement efforts to support healthy pregnancies and births; improving postpartum health; and enhancing data and research to inform future interventions. Includes data and statistics on maternal health and morbidity, and addresses rural considerations throughout.
Author(s): Dawn Alley, Andre Chappel, Nancy De Lew, et al.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Making it Work: Models of Success in Rural Maternity Care
Describes factors that underlie 3 successful models of rural maternity care and informs communities, clinicians, and hospitals wishing to keep obstetric services available on the local level. Includes information from interviews conducted at facilities in Baldwin, Wisconsin; Lakin, Kansas; and Russelville, Arkansas.
Author(s): Katy B. Kozhimannil, Carrie Henning-Smith, Megan Lahr, Mary Gilbertson
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Insurer Participation on the ACA Marketplaces, 2014-2021
Reports on the changes in health insurer participation in the ACA marketplace from 2014 to 2021 for all counties in the U.S. in chart, table, and interactive map formats.
Additional links: County-Specific Data
Author(s): Daniel McDermott, Cynthia Cox
Date: 11/2020
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Addressing Rural Health Disparities in a Pandemic
Public Health Review podcast in which 3 speakers discuss the impact of COVID-19 on rural health infrastructure and workforce. Describes how to improve conditions in rural communities, increase access to quality healthcare, and implement innovative strategies for health workforce recruitment and retention.
Date: 08/2020
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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Rural Interfacility Emergency Department Transfers: Framework and Qualitative Analysis
Examines the transfer for rural emergency patients to other facilities across 2 urban and 5 rural Veterans Health Administration facilities. Discusses 3 factors that influence the decision of transferring a patient: patient factors, system resources, and clinical and administrative processes.
Author(s): Candace D. McNaughton, Kemberlee Bonnet, David Schlundt, et al.
Citation: The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 21(4), 858-865
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
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Individual Market Volatility and Vulnerability, 2015 to 2019
Study examining health insurance options and premium prices from 2015-2019, including rural/urban differences. Provides data and statistics on market volatility and vulnerability, with information broken down by population, race, health status, number of hospital beds, and more.
Author(s): Jean Marie Abraham
Citation: RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 6(2): 206–22
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
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Health Care Access for Infants and Toddlers in Rural Areas
Research brief describing how rural children are more likely to face a unique combination of challenges that negatively impact their health and development, such as fewer healthcare providers, barriers to accessing care, and higher rates of poverty. Includes rural/urban comparisons for each state, with information on the percentage of infants and toddlers lacking health insurance, receiving recommended vaccinations, attending a preventive medical appointment, and more.
Author(s): Jessie Laurore, Gayane Baziyants, Sarah Daily
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Child Trends
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Loss of Hospital-based Obstetric Services in Rural Counties in the United States, 2004-2018
Line chart showing the percent of micropolitan and noncore counties that had hospital-based obstetric care from 2004 through 2018.
Author(s): Katy B Kozhimannil, Julia D Interrante, Mariana S Tuttle
Date: 07/2020
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Last Updated: 11/5/2024