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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities Among Rural Adults — United States, 2012-2015
Reports on racial/ethnic health disparities among rural residents. Includes data by race/ethnicity for health-related quality of life, healthcare access and use, chronic health conditions, and health-related behaviors. Based on data from the 2012–2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
Author(s): Cara V. James, Ramal Moonesinghe, Shondelle M. Wilson-Frederick, et al.
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(23), 1-9
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program Supports Sustainable Change
Provides an overview of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program and the impact several grantees have made in their communities. Discusses how the grantees planned their projects with the goal of sustaining services after the grant funding ends.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural Health Research Recap: Rural Behavioral Health
Summarizes key findings from the Rural Health Research Centers' most recent rural behavioral health projects. Discusses mental illness prevalence in rural areas, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among rural children, access to behavioral health services in rural communities, and rural behavioral health interventions. Provides links to each of the referenced source documents.
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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The Share of SNAP Households That Live Far from a Supermarket or Large Grocery Store Varies by County
Map showing 2015 county-level data on the percent of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households that lived far from the nearest supermarket or large grocery store, more than 1 mile in urban areas or more than 10 miles in rural areas.
Date: 11/2017
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Stepping into the Breach: How States and Insurers Worked Together to Prevent Bare Counties for 2018
Examines six states - Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Washington - that faced the prospect of having counties with no participating insurers ahead of the 2018 plan year open enrollment period. Shares insights from interviews with insurers and state regulators, focusing on how administrative and/or legislative actions and media coverage affected insurers' decisions to remain in the Marketplace. Includes a discussion on the challenges associated with risk assessment and rate setting in low-population, rural counties.
Author(s): Kevin Lucia, Jack Hoadley, Sabrina Corlette, Dania Palanker, Olivia Hoppe
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Urban Institute
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Health Matters: Navigating an Enhanced Rural Health Model for Maryland
Details a report on the findings of a study of Maryland's healthcare delivery system in 5 rural counties and looks at the availability of providers, vulnerable populations, barriers to access due to lack of transportation, and full and partial closures of healthcare facilities. Presents various rural healthcare models as potential options for Maryland.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, University of Maryland School of Public Health
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Assessing the Impact of Washington State's Oral Health Workforce on Patient Access to Care
Examines the oral health workforce and access to oral care in Washington state. Includes information on workforce demographics, rural and urban distribution of oral health providers, and difficulty recruiting dental hygienists and assistants in rural areas. Provides recommendations, policy changes, and potential solutions offered by oral health workforce interviewees.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Malaika R. Schwartz, Lisa Hager, Susan M. Skillman
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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No Wrong Door: Supporting Community Living for Veterans
Reports on several Veteran-Directed Home- and Community-Based Services (VD-HCBS) programs in 7 states. Presents a breakdown of each program and highlights challenges each program had to overcome. Bases analysis on 2 separate state surveys. Also includes tools useful to building collaborative partnerships between VA medical providers and aging and disability agencies in order to better serve veterans in their communities.
Author(s): Christina Neill Bowen, Wendy Fox-Grage, Kali Thomas, James Rudolph
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
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Emerging Strategies to Ensure Access to Health Care Services: Urgent Care Centers
Outlines a strategy to improve access to and the delivery of healthcare services by creating urgent care centers. Offers federal policy solutions to promote the effective adoption of the urgent care center model.
Additional links: Is the Urgent Care Center the Right Strategy for your Community?
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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The President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis
Includes recommendations set forth by the Trump Administration President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis to combat the opioid epidemic. Discussed plans for federal funding, prevention, treatment, education, and research, as well as the role of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice in facilitating the proposed course of action.
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis
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