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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Cosecha: A Statewide Promotor de Salud Network to Attain Equity in Accessing COVID-19 Services in Florida's Farmworker Corridor
Describes the activities of a network of promotores de salud, or community health workers, promoting equitable access to COVID-19 services, including vaccination, among rural, migrant Latinx farmworkers in Florida from November 2021 to July 2022. Discusses program implementation, evaluation, sustainability, outcomes, and more.
Author(s): Anna Villagomez, Robin Lewy, Bruce Tyler, Jonathan Castro, Zorayda Avila
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 114(S1), S74-S77
Date: 01/2024
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Nursing Home Closures and Access to Post-Acute Care and Long-Term Care Services in Rural Areas
Examines distance to care for residents needing post-acute care (PAC) and long-term care (LTC) services. Analyzes nursing home closures from 2008 to 2018 and identifies closest PAC and LTC services in rural versus urban areas, with data broken down by population demographics, nursing home characteristics, and distance to providers.
Author(s): Hari Sharma, Redwan Bin Abdul Baten, Fred Ullrich, A. Clint MacKinney, Keith J. Mueller
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(3), 557-564
Date: 01/2024
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Full Committee Oversight Hearing: "Rural Access: Is VA Meeting All Veterans Where They Live?"
The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs full committee oversight hearing discusses rural veteran's access to healthcare through the VA. Features a discussion of the VA's role as both a healthcare provider and a payer via its Community Care Program. Highlights technological challenges related to telehealth, such as lack of broadband connections and technological literacy of older veterans. Presents testimony from the VA, the Government Accountability Office, the Navajo Nation, and veteran advocacy groups, among others.
Additional links: Witnesses' Testimonies
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organization: House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
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End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices (ETC) Model: Second Annual Evaluation Report
Evaluation of the End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices (ETC) Model, incorporating analyses of home dialysis use, transplantation, acute care hospitalizations, outpatient ED visits, and hospital readmissions. Features results from interviews and surveys involving model participants and beneficiaries, and examines impacts of the ETC Model during calendar years 2021 and 2022. Includes facility-level statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Author(s): Brighita Negrusa, Jennifer Wiens, Darin Ullman, et al.
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, The Lewin Group
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VA Health Care: Office of Rural Health Efforts and Recommendations for Improvement
Presents an evaluation of the Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health (ORH). Discusses the methods the ORH uses to improve healthcare quality and access for rural veterans, such as initiatives to expand VHA services to rural veterans and funding research to improve the healthcare quality in rural areas. Evaluates the ORH's efforts and makes recommendations for improvement.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Community-Acquired Staphylococcus Aureus Skin and Soft Tissue Infection Risk Assessment Using Hotspot Analysis and Risk Maps: The Case of California Emergency Departments
Using California emergency department data between 2016 and 2019, evaluates the association between risk for Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections with various neighborhood characteristics such as population, poverty, and healthcare access shortage measures. Discusses rural disparities.
Author(s): Brittany L. Morgan Bustamante, Laura Fejerman, Larissa May, Beatriz Martínez-Lopéz
Citation: BMC Public Health, 24, 123
Date: 01/2024
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Telehealth Expansion, Internet Speed, and Primary Care Access Before and During COVID-19
Analyzes changes in primary care telehealth access among 172,387 Wisconsin Medicaid beneficiaries before and during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Assesses change in access over time by demographic characteristics, rural-urban dwelling, access to high speed internet, and health status.
Author(s): Alyssa Shell Tilhou, Arjun Jain, Thomas DeLeire
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(1), e2347686
Date: 01/2024
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County-Level Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates on Colorectal Cancer Survival in the State of Georgia: Does County-Level Rurality Matter?
Evaluates 5-year colorectal cancer (CRC) survival rates in Georgia by county-level rurality and CRC screening rate, utilizing 2004-2010 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program data. Discusses rural-urban CRC mortality disparities, and describes the influence of CRC screening on mortality.
Author(s): Meng-Han Tsai, Steven S. Coughlin, Jorge Cortes
Citation: Cancer Medicine, 13(1)
Date: 01/2024
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Implementation of a Mobile Health Clinic Framework for Hepatitis C Virus Screening and Treatment: A Descriptive Study
Examines the effectiveness of utilizing mobile health clinics (MHC) for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) treatment in underserved areas. Analyzes HCV screening and treatment rates of an MHC program initiated by Clemson Rural Health in South Carolina and discusses the impact of MHCs to provide healthcare access in rural and underserved areas.
Author(s): Lior Rennert, Kerry A. Howard, Caitlin M. Kickham, et al.
Citation: The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, 29
Date: 01/2024
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A Guide to Understanding Mental Health Systems and Services in Texas
Presents an overview of the mental health system in Texas to help policymakers, advocates, and individuals, including the structure of and services provided by Texas state agencies. Discusses implications and outcomes of rural mental health and substance abuse prevention policy and programs.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
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