Rural Health Disparities – Resources

Advancing Health Equity in Rural America
Report examining rural health equity, covering rural economic and demographic data, disparities by rurality, race/ethnicity, and class, and examples of initiatives that aim to increase health equity in rural communities. Offers recommendations for increasing health equity through economic and policy actions.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Paula Braveman, Julia Acker, Elaine Arkin, Katrina Badger, Nicole Holm
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Self-Rated Health Among Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Adults: Rural/Urban Differences
Policy brief examining differences in self-rated health by sexual orientation and rural or urban location. Includes statistics from the National Health Interview Survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and the Health Information National Trends Survey.
Author(s): Hannah MacDougall, Carrie Henning-Smith, Courtney Sarkin, Gilbert Gonzales
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis
Provides an overview of the maternal health crisis, including maternal mortality and morbidity disparities, and outlines investments and initiatives to address these issues. Presents goals and actions related to access to maternal and behavioral health services, improving data collection and policy, expanding and diversifying the maternal health workforce, and strengthening economic and social supports.
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The White House
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Prevalence of Chronic Conditions by Sexual Orientation and Rural-Urban Location
Presents a study on the correlation between chronic health issues by sexual orientation and rurality. Breaks down rates of chronic diseases such as arthritis, high cholesterol, diabetes, and others by sexual orientation and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Gilbert Gonzales, Megan Lahr, et al.
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Implementation of a Maternal Child Knowledgebase
Describes the development and implementation of the Maternal-Child Knowledgebase (MCK), an Obstetrics and Gynecology-focused enterprise data warehouse that integrates pregnancy and care data for patients of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to facilitate maternal and women's health surveillance and research. Offers an overview of the MCK architecture, interface, security, and data governance, and notes the need for maternal and child health data to address rural disparities.
Author(s): Donna A. Santillan, Mark K. Santillan, Heather A. Davis, et al.
Citation: AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings Archive, 2022, 432-438
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
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Evaluation of the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program: 2019 Cohort - Second Annual Report
Reports on the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) program 2019 cohort's first implementation year, 2020-2021. Describes the program, the need for increased access to maternal and obstetric care in rural areas, and the program's strategic goals. Provides an overview of the 3 RMOMS awardees in Missouri, New Mexico, and Texas, including network characteristics, model and goals, health equity efforts, sustainability, and maternal health outcomes.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy and Mortality at Delivery Hospitalization — United States, 2017–2019
Examines the prevalence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy among delivery hospitalizations. Includes data for metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural (nonmetro/nonmicro) counties on prevalence of any hypertension, chronic hypertension, pregnancy-related hypertension, and unspecified maternal hypertension.
Author(s): Nicole D. Ford, Shanna Cox, Jean Y. Ko, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(17), 585–591
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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2022 County Health Rankings National Findings Report
Analyzes county-level health disparities by examining health factors and outcomes throughout the U.S. Covers living wages, gender pay gap, childcare costs, school funding, and more. Discusses impacts of COVID-19, key findings, and calls to action to improve community health outcomes.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
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Individual and Neighborhood Influences on the Relationship Between Waist Circumference and Coronary Heart Disease in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study
Explores a study correlating the waist circumference with incidence of coronary heart disease and discusses the influence of geography and socioeconomic factors, such as race, poverty, and rurality, among others. Breaks down data by individual and ecological characteristics.
Author(s): Anne H. Gaglioti, Desiree Rivers, Joanna Bryan Ringel, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 19
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
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CMS Framework for Health Equity 2022–2032
Report outlines the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plan for improving health equity across the U.S. for racial and ethnic communities, rural communities, people with disabilities, and those living in poverty. Details a 5 priority framework emphasizing data collections and standardization; language access and health literacy; and reducing health disparities through increasing healthcare capacity and workforce, among others.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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