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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Addressing Rural Hospital Closures Through Infrastructure Reform
Provides a historical overview of rural Medicare reimbursement and provider designations and discusses their impact on hospital closures. Supports changing the rural health infrastructure to provide more flexibility for rural hospitals and to emphasize primary care and emergency care access.
Author(s): Eleni Salyers
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Department of Health Care Services: It Has Not Ensured That Medi-Cal Beneficiaries in Some Rural Counties Have Reasonable Access to Care
Findings from a study to determine whether rural beneficiaries of the Medi-Cal Regional Model health plan were given acceptable access to care and adequate quality of care after the state transitioned into managed care plans in 2013. Includes county-level map showing Medi-Cal Managed Care Models and statistics showing maximum distance required to access care, with breakdowns by provider type.
Author(s): Elaine M. Howle
Citation: California State Auditor Report 2018-122
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: Auditor of the State of California
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Life-Saving Naloxone from Pharmacies
Describes the role naloxone plays in reversing the effects of an opioid overdose. Discusses the need for greater access to naloxone, particularly in rural areas, and highlights trends in opioid and naloxone prescribing. Includes links to related CDC resources.
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Arizona Opioid Action Plan Version 2.0, July 2019 - June 2021
Outlines the Arizona Department of Health Services' goals and recommendations for responding to the state's opioid-related public health emergency declaration. Intended to serve as an action plan and primary data source, containing information on opioid legislation, federal barriers, public education, youth prevention, medical education curriculum, and more. Includes rural-specific information and recommendations.
Date: 07/2019
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Department of Health Services
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Rural and Urban Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell and Follicular Lymphoma Experience Reduced Overall Survival: A National Cancer Database Study
Investigates overall survival (OS) in cancer patients related to geography-based factors. Discusses intersecting lower OS factors including higher rates of poverty, comorbid disease, treatment delay, lack of insurance, and decreased access to specialty care. Patients were classified into rural, urban, and metropolitan segments utilizing Rural – Urban Continuum Codes.
Author(s): Andrew J. Ritter, Jordan S. Goldstein, Amy A. Ayers, Christopher R. Flowers
Citation: Leukemia & Lymphoma, 60(7), 1656-1667
Date: 07/2019
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2019 Medicaid and Commercial Access to Care Index: How Payer Type Influences Coloradans' Access to Needed Health Care
Provides information on healthcare access through both Medicaid and private insurers, as well as several other factors to determine whether the health needs of Colorado residents are being met. Measures improvement in healthcare access based on three components of access: potential access, barriers to care, and realized access. Features data breakdown by county.
Date: 07/2019
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Health Institute
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Veteran Suicide: A Growing Problem in Colorado
A suicide prevention brief demonstrating how rural veterans and active duty service members in Colorado are disproportionally affected by suicide. Discusses the mental health status of veterans and barriers to accessing mental health services. Describes several strategies and prevention programs to help prevent veteran suicide.
Author(s): Karam Ahmad, Jaclyn Zubrzycki, Ashlie Brown, et al.
Date: 07/2019
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Health Institute
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Endoscopic Services in the United States: By Whom, for What, and Why?
Discusses the relevance of declining volume of endoscopic procedures in urban and rural areas, from the standpoint of healthcare delivery. Focuses on colorectal cancer screening, assessments of endoscopic quality, and possible solutions, including training in flexible endoscopy.
Author(s): James W. Feimster, John D. Mellinger
Citation: The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 32(4), 454-456
Date: 07/2019
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Health Needs Assessment of Five Pennsylvania Plain Populations
Offers the results of a health needs assessment for 5 Anabaptist Pennsylvania Plain communities compared with the general state population. Discusses prevalence of genetic diseases and mental health conditions, screenings and vaccinations, and general health outcomes. Provides data on demographics, nutrition, environmental health, and health conditions taken from household surveys conducted in 2014 and 2015 which were designed to represent Plain community views of modern medicine.
Author(s): Kirk Miller, Berwood Yost, Christina Abbott, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(13), 2378
Date: 07/2019
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Mental Health Status, Need, and Unmet Need for Mental Health Services Among U.S. Pacific Islanders
Study examining mental health needs for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders (NHPI) of Marshallese and Samoan descent residing in Los Angeles County and rural Northwest Arkansas. Presents survey data for anxiety, depression, and alcohol use as well as need for, avoidance of, and delay in seeking mental healthcare. Discusses prevalence of these issues among the 223 survey respondents, comparing rural and urban-residing populations and noting disparities by sex.
Author(s): Andrew M. Subica, Nia Aitaoto, Bruce G. Link, et al.
Citation: Psychiatric Services, 70(7), 578-585
Date: 07/2019
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