Social Determinants of Health for Rural People – Resources

The Poverty-Reducing Effect of Five Key Government Programs in Rural and Urban America
Examines rural and urban residents' income from five social programs: Social Security, disability benefits, federal and state cash assistance, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Looks at the role of these programs in reducing poverty and reports how much poverty would increase in rural and urban areas without each program.
Author(s): Jessica Carson Marybeth Mattingly
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
view details

Social Determinants of Health: Transforming the Buzz Phrase to a Rural Action Item
Discusses how rural healthcare organizations can use social risk assessments as a tool to improve population health. Highlights the work of two rural organizations, CommWell Health in North Carolina and Tift Regional Health System in Georgia, to assess social risks and address patients' social determinants of health (SDOH).
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 04/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details

Bringing Law and Medicine Together to Help Rural Patients
Describes how medical-legal partnerships can help address patients' health-harming legal needs. Features rural medical-legal partnerships in Minnesota and Illinois.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2016
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details

Rural Data Central
Provides rural-focused data on population demographics, social characteristics, economic characteristics, housing and loans, and federal housing assistance. Includes interactive maps that present data at the national, state, county, census tract, congressional district, and tribal tract levels, as well as by small town and rural, suburban and exurban, urban, or all areas. Requires users to create a free profile and sign in to access data.
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
view details

Child and Youth Homelessness Data Profiles
Provides state, county, and school district data profiles of child and youth homelessness in the United States. Includes data breakdowns according to age of homeless youth, homelessness funding, chronic absenteeism, and rates of homelessness in special populations, such as rural, youth on their own, and special education students.
Sponsoring organizations: Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, SchoolHouse Connection
view details

High Need Mapping Tool
Interactive map highlighting various social determinants of health indices with Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center and grants data. Data can be viewed by HRSA Region or county.
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
view details

Populations at Risk
Tool offering downloadable socioeconomic reports covering age, race and ethnicity, educational attainment, language proficiency, poverty, assistance programs, employment, and housing. Includes ability to compare locations by census tract, city, county, state, tribal, metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan areas.
Sponsoring organization: Headwaters Economics
view details

Pathways to Equity Rural Health Roadmap
Outlines a roadmap for rural health organizations to improve health equity in their communities. Includes guidance on building trust, forming a health equity team, assessing health risks, developing strategies and collaborations, and taking action.
Sponsoring organization: Pathways to Public Health Equity
view details

ClimaWATCH (Climate and Weather Analytics, Trends, and Community Health)
Examines the impact of heat waves, based on data from Medicaid beneficiaries on healthcare utilization and spending. Includes information at the national, state, and county levels. Offers interactive maps and charts that show heat waves, excess healthcare use and spending due to heat, and more. Identifies communities most affected by heat waves using different metrics.
Sponsoring organization: Mathematica
view details

SparkMap's Community Assessment Tool
Allows user to select data indicators such as demographics, economics, housing, education, health behaviors and indicators, healthcare workforce, and more by state and county to create a community assessment report. Utilizes data from multiple geographical levels and housed with the US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Transportation, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Sponsoring organization: Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems
view details