This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Kentucky

Community-Wide Efforts to Improve the Consumer Food Environment and Physical Activity Resources in Rural Kentucky
Highlights the efforts of a community project in Kentucky to increase access to healthy foods and opportunities to be physically active. Details the project's work with grocery store managers to increase the availability of healthy food and with community members to develop and improve physical activity resources.
Author(s): Alison Gustafson, Margaret McGladrey,Tammy Stephenson, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16:180322
Date: 01/2019
view details
SOAR Impact Report 2019
Annual report from Shaping Our Appalachian Region, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding job creation, improving quality of life, and enhancing opportunity, innovation, and identity in Appalachian Kentucky. Includes a section on the UNITE Rural Health Opioid Program, a Kentucky River Region initiative begun in January 2019 with the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality related to opioid use disorders.
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: Shaping Our Appalachian Region
view details
Understanding Lung Cancer Resources and Barriers Among Worksites with Mostly Male Employees in Eight Rural Kentucky Counties: A Focus Group Discussion
Reports on focus groups examining lung cancer resources and related obstacles in 8 rural counties of Kentucky. Discussions focused on available resources and services; how men might use or learn about services; issues preventing men from accessing or learning about services; and more.
Author(s): Jennifer Redmond Knight, Lucy Hollingsworth Williamson, Debra Armstrong, Elizabeth Westbrook
Citation: American Journal of Men's Health, 13(6)
Date: 2019
view details
Williamson Health and Wellness Center (WHWC): Community Health Worker Care Coordination Program, West Virginia
Brief overview of a care coordination program using a team of community health workers, a registered nurse, and a nurse practitioner. Discusses the program's sustainability efforts, as well as key takeaways about the program. The program was funded under the Rural Health Care Coordination Network Partnership Grant Program from 2015-2018 and received additional philanthropic funding through a public-private partnership.
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
view details
Does a Program That Focuses on Lifestyle Changes Reduce Heart Disease Risk Factors in a Rural Community in Appalachian Kentucky?
Examines a tailored, culturally appropriate cardiovascular disease self-care intervention, HeartHealth, compared to a model of patient referrals to a primary care provider for standard care for cardiovascular risk factors in a rural Appalachian Kentucky community.
Author(s): Debra K. Moser, Frances Feltner, Martha J. Biddle, et al.
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
view details
Identifying Priority and "Bright-Spot" Counties for Diabetes Preventive Care in Appalachia: An Exploratory Analysis
Details a study of type 2 diabetes prevalence and mortality in rural Appalachian counties and compares rates with non-Appalachian counties.
Author(s): Peter J. Mallow, Michael Topmiller, Jennifer Rankin, Jene Grandmont, David Grolling
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 1(1), 27-33
Date: 2019
view details
The Social Determinants of Health and the Decline in U.S. Life Expectancy: Implications for Appalachia
Study explores life expectancy in the U.S. and compares these trends to those in Appalachia. Looks at social determinants of health such as substance use, injuries, and suicide, among others, as possible contributing factors.
Author(s): Steven H. Woolf, Heidi Schoomaker, Latoya Hill, Christine M. Orndahl
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 1(1), 6-14
Date: 2019
view details
The Ecology of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Summarizes results from an 8-state study of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a drug withdrawal condition that may occur in newborns exposed to opioids during pregnancy. Discusses correlations to rurality, unemployment rates, poverty, and the supply of healthcare providers, and identifies potential policy interventions that could help. For interactive, county-level data, see the Simulation of County Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Rates Tool based on study findings.
Additional links: Simulation of County Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Rates Tool
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
view details
Patterns of Buprenorphine Use and Risk for Re-Arrest among Highly Vulnerable Opioid-Involved Women Released from Jails in Rural Appalachia
Study examining licit and illicit use of buprenorphine by women in the Appalachia region of Kentucky with moderate to severe opioid involvement who had recently been released from jail. Discusses the role of consistent healthcare services in relation to risk for re-arrest, presenting data on demographics, opioid use, and healthcare access over a 3-month tracking period.
Author(s): Hilary L. Surratt, Michele Staton, Carl G. Leukefeld, Carrie B. Oser, J. Matthew Webster
Citation: Journal of Addictive Diseases, 37(1-2), 1-4
Date: 12/2018
view details
Rural and Appalachian Disparities in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Incidence and Access to Opioid Abuse Treatment
Examines the disparity of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) prevalence in Appalachian and non-Appalachian Kentucky and in comparison to national data. Considers why data from this study may or may not be useful in identifying regional and national trends. Also discusses the challenges of providing substance abuse treatment to pregnant women and Appalachian populations.
Author(s): Joshua D. Brown, Amie J. Goodin, Jeffrey C. Talbert
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(1), 6-13
Date: 12/2018
view details