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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health Information Hub

 

Rural Health
News by Topic: Public health

Jan 28, 2021 - Features a long-term care facility in rural Colorado that has seen in-person visits and some activities resume since COVID-19 vaccines arrived. Describes how vaccine deployment and the prioritization of long-term care facilities is easier in small communities, and with round two of the vaccine on the way, residents feel hope and a sense of normalcy.
Source: Kaiser Health News
Jan 27, 2021 - Highlights creative ways rural healthcare providers are distributing COVID-19 vaccines in their communities. Features health centers in Pennsylvania and South Carolina that purchased mobile health systems to provide testing and vaccination, and a four-woman team providing vaccines in remote communities across Alaska.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Jan 26, 2021 - Executive Order from the Office of the President directing the leaders of all executive departments and agencies to facilitate the gathering, sharing, and publication of COVID-19-related data. This Executive Order also directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue a report summarizing a review of public health data systems and data collected during public health threats and directs the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to develop a plan to advance innovation in public health data and analytics.
Source: Federal Register
Jan 26, 2021 - Executive Order from the Office of the President establishing a COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board to coordinate COVID-19 diagnostic, screening, and surveillance testing. This Executive Order also aims to expand the public health workforce through the creation of the U.S. Public Health Job Corps, a national contact tracing and COVID-19 public health workforce program.
Source: Federal Register
Jan 26, 2021 - The Rural Health Information Hub is requesting examples of rural communities and healthcare providers that are addressing vaccine hesitancy or innovating to provide COVID-19 vaccinations. Examples may be included in the Rural COVID-19 Innovations collection.
Source: Rural Health Information Hub
Jan 25, 2021 - Highlights COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts in rural Kittitas County, Washington using lessons learned from fighting wildfires and applying them to the pandemic. Describes how the county has not wasted a single dose by assigning a name of a person to each vial, informing the public as to how they can make appointments, and implementing a system that guarantees residents come back for the second dose.
Source: CNN
Jan 25, 2021 - Commentary from a volunteer firefighter in rural Wisconsin discusses her and her husbands' choice to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which included a 52 mile round trip. Explains that if a widespread outbreak of COVID hit any of the fire departments, it is necessary that she and her husband are able to respond to calls.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Jan 25, 2021 - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) flew doses of the Moderna vaccine to the Montana VA Health Care System (MTVAHCS), as part of a new pilot program that provides vaccines to rural veterans. Selected due to its size and rurality, MTVAHCS administered 240 vaccines to veterans in Havre, Montana.
Source: U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
Jan 21, 2021 - Blog highlights the national COVID-19 vaccination strategy unveiled by President Biden and his administration, which seeks to address challenges faced by local governments in distributing the vaccine. Summarizes actions to increase supply of vaccinations, leverage federal resources to create local vaccination sites, mobilize additional personnel, and launch a public education campaign.
Source: National Association of Counties
Jan 20, 2021 - Video features rural healthcare facilities in Montana and Texas and their efforts to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine in their communities. Describes several challenges to distribution in frontier communities, including the shortage of healthcare workers, long distances to travel, and vaccine storage requirements.
Source: CNN