Rural Public Health Agencies – Resources

The Public Health Associates Program: Opportunities for Rural Host Sites
Webinar recording discusses the Public Health Associates Program (PHAP), a two-year training program for gaining experience working in public health agencies. Features presentations from a representative of the Public Health Associates Program (PHAP).
Additional links: Audio Recording, PowerPoint Handout
Date: 12/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Synergistic Disparities and Public Health Mitigation of COVID-19 in the Rural United States
Describes how public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic emphasize racial, economic, and geographic disparities, especially among rural and poor populations. Covers public health mitigation measures, including disease surveillance, physical distancing, hand and respiratory hygiene, and public health communication. Discusses the ethical demands of public health practice during and following a public health emergency.
Author(s): Kata Chillag, Lisa Lee
Citation: Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 17(4), 649-656
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
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A Century Later: Rural Public Health's Enduring Challenges and Opportunities
Discusses rural health disparities that have persisted over the past century, with information on infectious disease, access to healthcare, maternal and child health, and racial health disparities in the United States. Discusses public health challenges and solutions for rural communities.
Author(s): Erika Ziller, Carly Milkowski
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, e1-e9
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
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Contact Tracing: Training New Workers and Connecting with Rural Residents
Discusses the role contact tracing plays in preventing further spread of the coronavirus in rural communities. Highlights an IHS hospital in Arizona and its in-person contact tracing initiative. Also covers contact tracing training strategies, featuring the work of Alaska's AHEC program, a center for public health in Washington, and a national public health foundation.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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COVID-19 Reveals Emerging Opportunities for Rural Public Health
Explores potential and existing public health innovations that rural communities can implement to address challenges brought on or exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, including lack of funding for local health departments, insufficient broadband, and more. Describes the expansion of telehealth services, discusses rural/urban disparities, and offers recommendations for improvement.
Author(s): Angela Dearinger
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(9), 1277-1278
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
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A Public Health Lens on Rural Health
Presents an overview of an American Journal of Public Health issue that explores rural health matters within the framework of public health. Summarizes topics covered in the articles, including rural/urban disparities, shifts in funding sources for local health departments, implementation of telemedicine and mobile clinics, opioid use disorder, and more.
Author(s): Paul Erwin, Wendy Braund
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(9), 1275-1276
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
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Toward Optimal and Equitable Rural Health
Explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced public health and clinical care systems and infrastructure. Features discussion on rural health disparities and offers recommendations for promoting health equity and improving population health.
Author(s): Eduardo Sanchez
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(9), 1340-1341
Date: 08/2020
Type: Document
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The State of Rural Public Health: Enduring Needs in a New Decade
Examines changes in rural/urban disparities over a 40-year period, including differences in life expectancy, social determinants of health, challenges facing local health departments (LHDs), and more. Discusses factors contributing to disparities and provides recommendations to support LHDs and improve public health in rural communities. Supplement contains figures depicting county-level data on life expectancy at birth as well as rural/urban differences in spending at LHDs and transfers to local governments.
Additional links: Supplement
Author(s): Jonathon Leider, Michael Meit, J. Mac McCullough, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(9), 1283-1290
Date: 08/2020
Type: Document
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The Role of Public Health in COVID-19 Emergency Response Efforts From a Rural Health Perspective
Examines the difficulties rural communities face in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the southeastern region of the U.S. Discusses the COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index, a tool that analyzes epidemiological factors, socioeconomic status, and other indicators to determine which communities are at an increased risk of COVID-19.
Author(s): Sandra Melvin, Corey Wiggins, Nakeitra Burse, Erica Thompson, Mauda Monger
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
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The Growing Divide in the Composition of Public Health Delivery Systems in US Rural and Urban Communities, 2014–2018
Analyzes data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems to examine rural-urban differences in the scope of public health delivery system activities and organizational networks from 2014-2018. Provides geographic breakdowns on various characteristics, including poverty, unemployment, trends for public health activities, and more.
Author(s): Kelsey M. Owsley, Mika K. Hamer, Glen P. Mays
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(Suppl 2), S204-S210
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
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