Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Appalachia

Ambulance Deserts: Geographic Disparities in the Provision of Ambulance Services
Chartbook presenting data on ambulance deserts from 41 states in 2021-2022, and identifying places and people that are more than 25 minutes from an ambulance station. Include maps of ambulance desert locations and health care facility locations for every state with available data, and documents coverage gaps in the provision of ambulance services across geographic areas across the United States.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Carly Milkowski, Zachariah Croll, Karen Pearson
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details
The Development of Accessible and Sustainable Transgender Health Education for Rural-Serving Medical Providers in Appalachia
Presents the results of a project to develop and implement a cultural competency training program for rural-serving medical residents focused on transgender primary healthcare in South Central Appalachia – an area that is medically under-resourced and experiences intersectional discrimination. The Kern Model medical curriculum and data from clinic stakeholders, residents, and transgender community members were utilized in the development of this training program. Highlights the value of virtual training providing increased accessibility for rural clinics.
Author(s): Rebecca Altschuler, Abbey K. Mann
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 23 (2)
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
view details
Adult Asthma Associated with Roadway Density and Housing in Rural Appalachia: The Mountain Air Project (Map)
Describes the Mountain Air Project (MAP) in rural Appalachia and the relationship between asthma and small area environmental exposures, such as roadways, mining operations, oil and gas wells, and more. Includes maps showing geographic distribution of potential environmental health exposures as well as data of citizens with asthma broken down by demographic information, housing status, health behaviors, and environmental exposures.
Author(s): W. Jay Christian, John Flunker, Beverly May, et al.
Citation: Environmental Health, 22, 28
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
view details
Perspectives on the Long of COVID: From Doomscrolling to Rural Management Strategies
An overview of how Long COVID is impacting rural areas. Features a Tennessee rural health researcher sharing his Long COVID experience and a rural New York healthcare system discussing the condition's management options.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Over the Hills and Through the Hollers: How One Program is Assisting Residents of Appalachia with Opioid Use Recovery
Results of a study evaluating the Kentucky Access to Recovery Program (KATR), which provides services to low-income adults recovering from opioid addiction in several rural eastern Kentucky counties. Examines the impact of KATR on service recipients' access to recovery services and supports.
Author(s): Aubrey E. Jones, Jayme E. Walters, Aaron R. Brown
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 4(3), 71-86
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
view details
Appalachian Employment Lagged Rest of United States from 2001 to 2021
Compares growth of employment in Appalachia from 2001-2021 with counties that neighbor Appalachia and counties in the rest of the United States. Features a county-level map with shadings indicating percent change in annual average employment.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Labor Statistics
view details
Appalachian Diseases of Despair
Uses data from the 2020 Multiple Cause of Death database to provide information on mortality from overdose, suicide, and alcoholic liver disease/cirrhosis among people ages 15-64. Includes data and statistics, with information broken down by Appalachian state, region, gender, and metropolitan or nonmetropolitan status.
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health Research, NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
view details
Adaptation and Study Protocol of the Evidence-based Make Better Choices (Mbc2) Multiple Diet and Activity Change Intervention for a Rural Appalachian Population
Details the development of the Make Better Choices 2 (MBC2) mHealth diet and activity randomized trial and how it is being adapted for rural Appalachia. Outlines the adaptation process conducted in Appalachian Kentucky and subsequent revisions to the recruitment, retention, assessment, and intervention components of the study. Discusses the need for culturally appropriate research to reach underserved populations and achieve health equity.
Author(s): Nancy E. Schoenberg, Deanna Sherman, Angela Fidler Pfammatter, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 22, 2043
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
view details
Coal Production and Employment in Appalachia
Examines major trends in coal production and employment in Appalachia between 2000-2020 and assesses how those trends may affect economic performance in the region. Includes a section on health outcomes, with statistics comparing the mortality rate in Appalachian coal counties, Appalachian non-coal counties, and the rest of the United States, as well as the mortality rate in Appalachian coal region subregions.
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
view details
Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on a Rural Opioid Support Services Program
Study examining the impacts of the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic on a rural, nonprofit opioid use disorder (OUD) system support service program located in eastern Kentucky. Describes findings from interviews conducted in early fall 2020 discussing changes to daily life, service access and provision, and financial impacts.
Author(s): Jayme E. Walters, Aubrey E. Jones, Aaron R. Brown, Dorothy Wallis
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8), 11164
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
view details