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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Report to Congress: Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis in the United States: An Update from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Reports on efforts by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve maternal health outcomes, including programs related to care delivery, access to care, and social factors influencing health. Presents data and discussion of maternal health trends, identifies key drivers, highlights relevant HHS programs and actions, and presents a framework to measure progress. Details rural access and outcome disparities and features rural-focused programs.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Disability and Independence in Rural America: White Paper
Provides an overview of disability and independence in rural America. Describes disability prevalence in rural areas and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) programs for people with disabilities. Outlines key considerations for rural disability services, including access, Medicaid and Medicare coverage, workforce, and telehealth and technology. Highlights themes that emerged during the September 2023 National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Service (NACRHHS) meeting regarding areas for disability and independence policy improvement. Appendix A summarizes NACRHHS subcommittee site visits of two organizations serving rural Colorado residents.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Strategies to Reduce Barriers for Underserved Students in Health Professions Programs: Addressing Rural and Urban Health Professional Shortages by Building a Diverse Healthcare Workforce
Evaluates barriers to the education, recruitment, and placement of rural and underserved health professions students in Arizona, utilizing interview data from 15 educators and program managers with relevant experience. Identifies opportunities for improvement, including discussion of pathway programs, financial aid, admission practices, community supports, public policy, and more.
Author(s): J. Ringhand, A. Oteng-Quarshie, J. Peters, A. Garn, B. Koch, D. Derksen
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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Variation in Dentist Participation Between Dental Medicaid Managed Care Organizations
Examines the variation in Medicaid managed care organization (MCO) participation among private practice dentists in Iowa. Describes factors associated with Medicaid MCO participation, including dentists' personal and practice characteristics, including practice type, rural or urban location, and dental Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation.
Author(s): Pamela C. Nwachukwu, Peter C. Damiano, Steven Levy, et al.
Citation: Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 84(4), 362-370
Date: 07/2024
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Economic Role of Oklahoma Hospitals: Industry Profile & Economic Impacts
Reports on the economic impact of hospitals in Oklahoma, including data on revenue, hospital-supported jobs, direct wages, and more. See pages 10-11 for discussion of rural hospital access disparities.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Oklahoma Hospital Association
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Geographic Variation in Shortfalls of Dementia Specialists in the United States
Reports on distribution of dementia specialists to identify potential dementia care shortage areas for the older adult population. Discusses the impact on rural residents.
Author(s): Jodi L. Liu, Lawrence Baker, Annie Yu-An Chen, Jue (Jessie) Wang
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 2(7)
Date: 07/2024
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Understanding Willingness and Barriers to Participate in Clinical Trials during Pregnancy and Lactation: Findings from a US Study
Analyzes attitudes, perceptions, and other factors influencing participation in clinical trials among 654 pregnant and postpartum people. Provides data on associations between likelihood of participation, motivators and deterrents, and patient characteristics including comparisons by rural, urban, and suburban area.
Author(s): Melanie H. Jacobson, Emily Yost, Shirley V. Sylvester, et al.
Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 24, 504
Date: 07/2024
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Spatial Accessibility and Uptake of Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccinations by Social Vulnerability
Examines pediatric uptake of COVID-19 vaccines by vaccination site, travel time to nearest site, and county-level social vulnerability. Utilizes 2022 U.S. Vaccine Tracking System data to analyze 15,233,956 vaccine doses administered across 27,526 sites, with breakdowns according to sociodemographics, including rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Rohan Khazanchi, Benjamin Rader, Jonathan Cantor, et al.
Citation: Pediatrics, 154(2)
Date: 07/2024
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Patterns of Digital Health Access and Use among US Adults: A Latent Class Analysis
Evaluates patterns of access and use of digital technology for health purposes via a latent class analysis of 2017-2020 Health Information National Trends Survey data. See Table 3 for data on people dwelling in metropolitan, non-metropolitan urban, and rural areas.
Author(s): Phillip C. Hegeman, Daniel T. Vader, Kristyn Kamke, Sherine El-Toukhy
Citation: BMC Digital Health, 2, 42
Date: 07/2024
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Transformation of the Clinical Trial Enterprise: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic
Summarizes findings from a literature review and expert interviews regarding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical trials. Explores ways that clinical trials that continued during the pandemic mitigated disruptions and lessons learned. Includes discussions regarding how decentralized clinical trials and digital health technologies reduce barriers for residents of underserved areas to enroll and participate in clinical trials.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Co-Bio Consulting, HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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