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Rural Veterans and Access to Healthcare – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Veterans and Access to Healthcare.

Veteran Dental Care Stimulates the Economy and Improves Overall Health
Report discusses veterans' access to oral healthcare and explores the economic implications to expanding dental care to veterans. Highlights the economic impact of dental clinics on rural communities, as well as expanding oral healthcare coverage to veterans.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
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Mental Health Service Use, Suicide Behavior, and Emergency Department Visits Among Rural US Veterans Who Received Video-Enabled Tablets During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Results of a study to examine whether a United States Veterans Affairs initiative to distribute video-enabled tablets during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with mental healthcare access, suicide behavior, or emergency department (ED) visits among rural veterans. Features demographics and statistics on mental health services use and ED visits, with breakdowns by tablet recipients and nonrecipients.
Author(s): Kritee Gujral, James Van Campen, Josephine Jacobs, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 5(4)
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
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Veterans Health Care: Efforts to Hire Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists
Describes efforts taken by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to promote the hiring of licensed professional mental health counselors (LPMHC) and marriage and family therapists (MFT) at Department of Veterans Affairs' facilities. Examines the extent to which VA medical facilities are employing LPMHCs and MFTs and how their recent employment compares with other mental health professions. Discusses considerations regarding the availability of LPMHCs and MFTs in rural communities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Strengthening Excellence in Research through Veteran Engagement (SERVE) Toolkit 2.0
Presents a toolkit to provide guidance for researchers looking to engage veterans in their research. Highlights successful practices and guidance for the implementation and evaluation of research-based programs. Discusses challenges and successes working with veterans from a number of different demographics, including rural.
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development Service
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VA Recommendations to the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission
Presents Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) recommendations to the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission to modernize and realign the VA health care system. Recommendations cover investing in the VA outpatient care infrastructure, enhancing care for veterans with complex needs, providing equitable access to inpatient medical and surgical care, and strengthening the VA's ability to execute its education, research, and emergency preparedness missions. Volume I outlines the legislative history; the present and future of VA health care, including the access needs of rural veterans; the methodology used to conduct the market assessments; and a national summary of the recommendations. Volume II details the recommendations and is organized by the 18 Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs).
Additional links: Appendices, Volume I, Volume II
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Veterans Community Care Program: VA Should Strengthen Its Ability to Identify Ineligible Health Care Providers
Examines the extent to which vulnerabilities in Veterans Community Care Program eligibility requirements contribute to potentially ineligible providers participating in the program. Offers recommendations to the Veterans Administration to enhance provider eligibility controls and oversight.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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The Role of Race in Rural-Urban Suicide Disparities
Explores the role race-ethnicity plays in understanding the rural-urban disparity in rates of suicide among Veterans Health Administration (VHS) patients. Breaks down data by race, age, and rural versus urban location, among other measures.
Author(s): Talya Peltzman, Daniel J. Gottlieb, Maxwell Levis, Brian Shiner
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 38(2), 346-354
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
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"I was Unsure at First": A Qualitative Evaluation of Patient Perceptions of VA Clinical Video Telehealth Visits in the V-IMPACT Program
Features a study evaluating a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) program using video-based telehealth to expand access to primary care to rural veterans. Draws conclusions based on interviews with patients who utilized the program.
Author(s): Ashley C Mog, Megan Moldestad, Rachael Kenney, et al.
Citation: Journal of Patient Experience, 9
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
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Association of Rurality With Annual Repeat Lung Cancer Screening in the Veterans Health Administration
Reviews electronic health records of veterans in rural and nonrural areas who utilized Veterans Affairs medical centers from 2015 to 2019. Examines geographic trends among veteran populations who complete annual repeat lung cancer screenings. Includes information on barriers rural veterans face in accessing screenings and potential solutions to address them. Reports on rural versus nonrural data further broken down according to age, sex, race, ethnicity, and comorbidities, among other demographic information.
Author(s): Lucy B. Spalluto, Jennifer A. Lewis, Lauren R. Samuels, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American College of Radiology, 19(1 PB), 131-138
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
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Sustainment Stories: A Qualitative Analysis of Barriers to Sustainment of the National Rural Transitions of Care Nurse Program
Explores a study evaluating the VA's Transitions Nurse Program (TNP) and its efficacy in rural areas. Details some of the program's early outcomes, barriers, and perceptions.
Author(s): Mary Ava Nunnery, Heather Gilmartin, Michaela McCarthy, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 22, 119
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
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Last Updated: 9/24/2024