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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Colorectal Cancer Community Engagement: A Qualitative Exploration of American Indian Voices from North Dakota
Presents a study on the barriers and facilitators of colorectal cancer screening for American Indian (AI) communities in North Dakota. Bases conclusions on interviews with AI adults between 30 and 75 years of age.
Author(s): Nicole Redvers, Mia Wilkinson, Courtney Fischer
Citation: BMC Cancer, 22, 158
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
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Outpatient Telehealth Use Soared Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic but Has since Receded
Brief examining outpatient telehealth visits from March 2019 to August 2021 based on a data set that includes over 126 million patients from 889 hospitals and 19,320 clinics nationwide. Covers changes in telehealth use during the pandemic, telehealth use by age group and gender, rural and urban rates of telehealth use, and telehealth use for management of chronic conditions. Discusses impacts on healthcare access, cost, quality, and outcomes, as well as policy implications.
Author(s): Justin Lo, Matthew Rae, Krutika Ann, Cynthia Cox
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: KFF, Peterson Center on Healthcare
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How States Can Expand Health Care Access in Rural Communities
Discusses policy options states could use to increase access to care and the supply of healthcare providers in rural areas. Covers financial assistance programs for medical and dental education; malpractice reform; scope of practice changes for advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, and dental health aide therapists; telemedicine parity; and mobile clinics.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for American Progress
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Chartis Center for Rural Health Research & Resources for the 2022 National Rural Health Association's Rural Health Policy Institute Conference
Offers research and analysis of the stability of the rural healthcare safety net. Includes Pandemic Increases Pressure on Rural Hospitals & Communities: Vulnerability, Health Inequity and Staffing Crisis Amplified in Pandemic's Third Year and presentation slides on this report from the 2022 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute. Provides links to national and state data tables showing the financial impact of federal policies on rural hospitals.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Pandemic Increases Pressure on Rural Hospitals & Communities: Vulnerability, Health Inequity and Staffing Crisis Amplified in Pandemic's Third Year
Examines the stability of the rural healthcare safety net. Discusses disparities between rural and urban communities and communities with hospitals vulnerable to closure. Describes the benefits of COVID-19 relief funding on rural hospitals and how scheduled reimbursement cuts and staffing shortages could impact hospitals' financial stability. Also discusses how staffing shortages impact access to obstetrics and chemotherapy care in rural areas.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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The Problem Of The Color Line: Spatial Access To Hospital Services For Minoritized Racial And Ethnic Groups
Study examining inequities in access to healthcare by race and geography, covering distances to hospital services for minoritized ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZTCAs). Discusses factors that lead to disparities in access for rural minority communities, including policy, rural hospital closures, and safety-net program issues.
Additional links: Story Map: The Problem Of The Color Line
Author(s): Jan M. Eberth, Peiyin Hung, Gabriel A. Benavidez, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs, 41(2), 237-246
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
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Meeting the Behavioral Health Needs of Farm Families in Times of Economic Distress
Offers strategies to support development and integration of behavioral health services across healthcare and community-based organizations, including leveraging payment systems to support coordinated care for farm families and aligning federal grant programs to address mental health and substance use disorders. Features recommendations including integrating primary and behavioral care for initial treatment of mental health and substance abuse concerns, expanding the workforce to improve rural behavioral health services capacity, increasing telehealth services, and expanding private and public insurance coverage.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Alva O. Ferdinand, Alana Knudson, et al.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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A New Era of Health Literacy? Expanded Definitions, Digital Influences, and Rural Inequities
Explores rural challenges to accessing health information that is clear and usable, with insights from experts. Describes recently expanded definitions of health literacy. Discusses digital health literacy and the importance of broadband access and digital health tools for rural residents.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Serious Mental Illness and Mental Health Treatment Utilization among Adults Residing in Non-Metropolitan and Metropolitan Counties
Results of a national study to estimate and compare the prevalence of serious mental illness and mental health treatment utilization, and reasons for not seeking mental health treatment among adults residing in non-metropolitan and metropolitan counties. Features statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas.
Author(s): Tyrone F. Borders, Timothy Williams
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Assessing Factors Associated with Social Connectedness in Adults with Mobility Disabilities
Examines social connectedness among people with mobility disabilities using National Survey on Health and Disability data from October 2019 to January 2020. Identifies factors associated with social activity, social isolation, and loneliness among people with mobility disabilities, and makes comparisons among people with mobility disabilities and non-mobility disabilities. Includes comparisons of rural and urban populations.
Author(s): Jean P. Hall, Noelle K. Kurth, Kelsey S. Goddard
Citation: Disability and Health Journal, 15(1) Suppl., 101206
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
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