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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Indian Health Service Memorandum of Understanding - Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2023
Annual report details the accomplishments of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) via their memorandum of understanding. Highlights the ways the VA and IHS have worked together to deliver healthcare to American Indian and Alaska Native veterans and discusses future collaborations.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Indian Health Service Health Equity Report
Reports on efforts to advance health equity in the Indian Health Service (IHS). Discusses strategies and funding supporting access to facilities and services, quality of care, cultural appropriateness, wellness and disease prevention, and more.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Indian Health Service
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Disadvantaged Groups Have Greater Spatial Access to Pharmacies in New York State
Examines spatial pharmacy access in various communities across New York State. Utilizes population weighted mean shortest road network distance (PWMSD) to examine distance to closest pharmacy. Includes Census Tract-level maps showing demographics such as poverty and education level quartile percentages and the correlation to pharmacy access. Includes discussion about how rurality factors into pharmacy access for different groups.
Author(s): Abhinav Suri, James Quinn, Raymond R. Balise, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 24, 471
Date: 04/2024
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The Influence of Rurality on Melanoma Diagnosis in Indiana: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Compares demographics and disease characteristics of rural and urban patients diagnosed with melanoma in Indiana between January 2017 and September 2022. Discusses rural disparities in access and treatment.
Author(s): Gloria R. Xue, Marie Clark, Claudia Morr, James E. Slaven, Syril Keena T. Que
Citation: Cancer Reports, 7(4), e2072
Date: 04/2024
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Health Subcommittee Hearing: "Legislative Proposals to Support Patient Access to Telehealth Services"
Recording of an April 10, 2024, House Energy & Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health, hearing on legislative proposals that would support patients' access to telehealth services. Discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic-era regulatory flexibilities on telehealth use and access to care.
Additional links: Ateev Mehrotra, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Testimony, Hearing Memorandum
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Health
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Coast Guard Health Care: Information on Telehealth Usage
Describes how the Coast Guard uses telehealth to provide medical care to its active duty personnel. Discusses the development of the Coast Guard's telehealth program, services offered, the extent to which video telehealth services are used, and benefits and challenges the Coast Guard experiences related to telehealth.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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San Luis Valley Hospital Delivers When Families Need Obstetric Care
Podcast episode describing challenges with offering obstetric care in rural Colorado. Discusses services offered, cross-training, behavioral health and substance use, and social determinants of health. Offers strategies for other hospitals offering maternal healthcare. Transcript is below the audio player.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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How Do People Who Use Opioids Express Their Qualities and Capacities? An Assessment of Attitudes, Behaviors, and Opportunities
Evaluates perceived strengths among 46 people who nonmedically use opioids and other drugs in rural southern Illinois and New York City. Highlights situational factors affecting urban and rural people who use drugs, describes the impact of stigma on quality of life and access to substance use treatment, and discusses strengths-based treatment models.
Author(s): Jerel M. Ezell, Mai T. Pho, Elinor Simek, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 21, 79
Date: 04/2024
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The Relationship Between Felt Stigma and Non-Fatal Overdose among Rural People Who Use Drugs
Analyzes associations between felt stigma and recent non-fatal overdose among 2,608 rural people who use opioids from January 2018 to March 2020. Discusses factors influencing stigma in rural areas and describes interventions which reduce stigma-related barriers to treatment and overdose prevention.
Author(s): Adams L. Sibley, Emma Klein, Hannah L.F. Cooper, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 21, 77
Date: 04/2024
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Locations and Characteristics of Pharmacy Deserts in the United States: A Geospatial Study
Classifies census tracts as pharmacy deserts or non-pharmacy deserts. Compares pharmacy desert and non-pharmacy desert areas by various social determinants of health and pharmacy characteristics including rurality. See the supplemental materials for state-by-state and rural/urban comparisons.
Author(s): Rachel Wittenauer, Parth D. Shah, Jennifer L. Bacci, Andy Stergachis
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 2(4)
Date: 04/2024
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