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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

The Implicit and Explicit Exclusion of People with Disabilities in Clinical Trials
Reports on barriers for people with disabilities in participating in clinical research trials and offers recommendations to various federal agencies for removing those barriers. Discusses rural concerns including opportunities for participation due to distance.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Council on Disability
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The Rural Mortality Penalty in U.S. Hospital Patients with COVID-19
Examines whether rural-urban disparities in patient condition at hospital admission affect all-cause mortality among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from March 2020 to February 2023, utilizing Epic Cosmos data of 1,119,199 patients. Provides data on rural versus urban differences in patient condition at admission, overall health, vaccination status, age, and other demographics. Discusses factors associated with reduced access to care in rural areas.
Author(s): Jeffrey A. Thompson, Dinesh Pal Mudaranthakam, Lynn Chollet-Hinton
Citation: Population Health Metrics, 22, 20
Date: 08/2024
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Access in Brief: Seniors and Adults with Physical Disabilities
Explores access to Medicaid-funded long-term services and supports (LTSS) among Medicaid beneficiaries age 65 and older and Medicaid beneficiaries aged 18-64 with physical disabilities. Describes the demographics, health status, service use, and experiences with Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) of these Medicaid beneficiaries using data from the 2017-2018 National Core Indicators Aging and Disabilities (NCI-AD) Adult Consumer Survey. Presents data by race and ethnicity, dually eligible status, and age.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Pediatric Subspecialty Outreach Clinics: Reach and Impact on Access to Care
Examines the impact of pediatric subspecialty clinics on driving times to children's subspecialty care in Maine. Compares distance to outreach clinics and clinical hubs for seven pediatric subspecialties, utilizing Google Maps driving time estimates for each Maine ZIP code tabulation area. Includes breakdowns by rural versus urban area.
Author(s): James C. Bohnhoff, Anya Cutler, Sean Hagenbuch, Kristen Kurland
Citation: BMC Pediatrics, 24, 519
Date: 08/2024
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Youth in Crisis: How an Innovative Program is Addressing Pediatric Mental Health
Highlights a New Hampshire pediatric behavioral health training program using the Project ECHO model. Discusses access to care, workforce shortages, benefits of collaboration, and community engagement. Transcript beneath the audio player.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Changes in Rural Pharmacy Presence 2023
Data brief exploring availability of retail pharmacy services in rural areas of the U.S. Provides information on rural communities that have kept, lost, or gained a retail pharmacy between 2018 and 2023. Features statistics on numbers of pharmacies in rural areas in 2018 and 2023, with breakdowns by communities with one pharmacy, two pharmacies, or three or more pharmacies.
Author(s): Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Community Health Centers' Progress and Challenges in Meeting Patients' Essential Primary Care Needs: Findings from the Commonwealth Fund 2024 National Survey of Federally Qualified Health Centers
Summarizes findings from the 2024 Commonwealth Fund National Survey of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), which received responses from 737 FQHC leaders in fall 2023 and spring 2024. Explores the extent to which FQHCs achieve primary care accessibility, comprehensiveness, and coordination. Compares findings to data from the 2018 version of this survey to assess how care delivery changed over time. Describes barriers FQHCs face in offering high-quality care. Presents data by rural and urban location throughout.
Author(s): Celli Horstman, Corinne Lewis, Alexandra Bryan, Sara Federman
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Delivery of High-Speed Broadband Services in Unserved and Underserved Areas of the Commonwealth (Pennsylvania): Fifth Annual Report
Provides an update on the role of broadband in education, telehealth, agriculture, and community and economic development; barriers to development; and funding resources. Discusses developments in Pennsylvania state and local initiatives and efforts to identify unserved and underserved Pennsylvania communities.
Author(s): Yvonne Llewellyn Hursh, Bryan W. DeWalt, Lydia Hack, Allison N. Kobzowicz, Wendy L. Baker
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Joint State Government Commission, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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The Effect of Proximity to Grocery Stores and the Pandemic on Parents' and Youths' Perceptions of Eating Habits in Predominately African American Rural Communities
Surveyed 203 youth and parents to determine the impact of grocery store access on eating habits, health, and exercise habits in 3 African American rural communities. Compares results between parents with and without grocery store access as well as between parents and youth. Discusses the impact of COVID-19 on eating habits and exercise.
Author(s): Amanda Williams, Sharlene D. Newman
Citation: Frontiers in Nutrition, 11
Date: 08/2024
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Veterans Health Care: VA's Video Telehealth Access Program Would Benefit from Performance Goals and Measures
Describes programs implemented by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to address veterans' barriers to accessing telehealth, with a focus on the Accessing Telehealth at Local Area Stations (ATLAS) Pilot Program. Examines telehealth performance and use data, veterans' satisfaction with VHA telehealth services, and VHA efforts to assess the quality of its telehealth services. Offers recommendations to the VHA regarding the development and use of performance goals and measures to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the ATLAS program.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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