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Rural Health
News by Topic: Mortality

Mar 24, 2023 - Two recent studies found that while deaths from heart disease are declining overall in the United States, people living in rural areas are at higher risk of dying from heart disease, and that Black rural men are at greatest risk for developing heart failure. Heart disease is the leading cause of death nationwide and one out of every three deaths in Georgia is attributed to heart disease.
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mar 19, 2023 - Tribal leaders in the Cherokee Nation say $100 million won in opioid settlements will help their community heal from decades of addiction. Over the next five years, the tribe plans to roll out a total of $75 million in new treatment facilities. The remainder will go toward the costs of running these sites as well as a scholarship fund.
Source: WHQR Public Media
Feb 23, 2023 - The Wisconsin Department of Health Services Director of Opioid Initiatives says the 12 tribal nations across the state have the highest overdose rate of any population. The Menominee tribe's new Drug Intervention Team brings together resources from health and law enforcement to fight fentanyl and heroin deaths.
Source: Wisconsin Public Radio
Feb 21, 2023 - A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association showed that deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) consistently declined at the county level from 2009-2018. However, rural counties and counties with a higher percentage of black residents had higher CVD mortality rates than urban counties and counties with a lower percentage of black residents.
Source: EurekAlert
Feb 17, 2023 - Reports on rural and urban COVID-19 infection rates for the week of January 26-February 1. Notes that new cases declined nationwide, and the number of deaths increased in rural areas but remained steady in metropolitan counties. Provides a county-level data map and COVID-19 trend charts comparing rural and urban rates over time.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Feb 16, 2023 - A study from the Rural Health Research & Policy Centers examined COVID-19 deaths in December 2020 and January 2021, and found that the mortality rate during that period was highest in the Midwest and in areas with larger populations of Hispanic or American Indian/Alaska Native populations. The researchers also noted that deaths were highest in more isolated communities and counties with the highest rates of nursing home bed density.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Feb 9, 2023 - The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will hold a virtual public meeting of the Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality (ACIMM) on March 20-21, 2023. Agenda items are being finalized but may include an update on recommendations to improve birth outcomes among American Indian and Alaska Native mothers and infants; a discussion to determine new and continuing priority areas for the Committee; federal updates; and Committee operations. The webinar link and log-in information will be available at the ACIMM website before the meeting. Requests for public comment should be sent via email to SACIM@hrsa.gov.
Source: Federal Register
Feb 6, 2023 - Discusses COVID-19 death rates over the course of the pandemic, noting that the current gap between rural and urban death rates is relatively stable compared to the first years of the pandemic. Also highlights causes for larger gaps between rural and urban death rates at different stages of the pandemic.
Source: Daily Yonder
Feb 2, 2023 - Reports on rural and urban COVID-19 infection rates for the week of January 19-January 25. Notes that infections and deaths declined nationwide, but rural counties in the South had infection rates 17% higher than the national rate. Provides a county-level data map and COVID-19 trend charts comparing rural and urban rates over time.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Feb 1, 2023 - A study published in The Lancet says that premature "deaths of despair" have affected American Indian and Alaska Native communities more than white communities. American Indians and Alaska Native people were not surveyed in a 2015 study that looked at death rates for 45-54 year-olds from 1999-2013.
Source: NPR
Jan 26, 2023 - Reports on rural and urban COVID-19 infection rates for the week of January 12-January 18. Notes that rural areas experienced a 13% drop and metropolitan areas had a 21% increase in infection rates compared to the previous week. Death rates in rural counties were 9% lower than the prior week, but in urban areas there was a 1.3% increase. Provides a county-level data map and COVID-19 trend charts comparing rural and urban rates over time.
Source: The Daily Yonder