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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Children and youth

Bridging the Gap: INVESTing in HPV Vaccination for Rural Youth
Describes the INVEST (INcreasing VaccinE uptake among Southern Teens) human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine promotion program for rural youth in North Carolina and South Carolina. Discusses program implementation through school nurses and educational materials focused on vaccination and other aspects of adolescent health and wellness.
Author(s): Sayward E. Harrison
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
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Rural America's OB Deserts Widen in Fallout From Pandemic
Explores the loss of obstetrics services in rural communities since 2011. Presents data on the number and percentage of rural hospitals that discontinued obstetrics services between 2011 and 2021. Discusses the impact of the loss of these services on maternal and infant health.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Addressing the National Rural Health Care Worker Shortage with A Focus on Kindergarten Through 12th Grade Educational Strategies
Policy position paper regarding addressing rural healthcare workforce shortages through K-12 pipeline programs. Discusses educational, programmatic, and financial challenges to engaging K-12 students and implementing pipeline programs. Offers policy recommendations for the U.S. Congress and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to promote student preparedness and interest in health careers.
Author(s): Nicole Thill, Michelle Fortune, Abigail Radcliffe
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Pediatric Vaccination Rates in Rural America
Policy position paper regarding declining vaccination rates of children in rural communities. Compares rural and urban childhood vaccination rates and the potential for increasing health disparities. Describes a "5As of vaccine access" policy framework to evaluate current and future immunization policies and proposals. Offers recommended actions for federal, state, and local governments and organizations to improve rural vaccine uptake.
Author(s): Cynthia Calixte, Nitika Moibi, Andrea Stephenson Royster
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy Solutions Addressing Psychiatric Boarding of Rural Youth
Policy position paper regarding psychiatric boarding - holding patients in an emergency department after the decision to admit or transfer has been made, but no beds are available - of rural children and adolescents. Describes recent trends in pediatric psychiatric boarding in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to reduce boarding times and improve mental health outcomes in rural communities.
Author(s): Amah Riley, Jonathan Updike, Lauren Wood
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Urban and Rural Healthcare Providers' Perspectives on HPV Vaccination in Minnesota
Reports findings from a set of 20 qualitative interviews with urban and rural adolescent healthcare providers and clinic staff in Minnesota. Examines provider strategies used when discussing HPV, COVID-19, and other adolescent vaccines, as well as perceptions of parental opinions on adolescent vaccination. Discusses rural cultural values that impact rural provider strategies for promoting vaccination.
Author(s): Elizabeth J. Polter, Ben Christianson, Anne Steinberg, et al.
Citation: Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 19(3), 2291859
Date: 12/2023
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Engaging Families and Providers When Aligning Early Childhood and Medicaid Systems: State Lessons
Describes how the alignment of health and social supports and services offered by Medicaid and early childhood agencies can create systems that better meet the needs of families with young children. Outlines four strategies states can use to engage families and providers when working on systems alignment effectively. Highlights an Alaska initiative that worked with a local community organization to recruit rural providers and families to identify opportunities for service improvement.
Author(s): Lauren Scannelli Jacobs, Armelle Casau
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Emergency Department Care for Children During the 2022 Viral Respiratory Illness Surge
Analyzed over 2.7 million pediatric viral and respiratory emergency department visits in Michigan in 2021 and 2022 to describe wait times, length of stay, and revisits in both surge and non-surge periods. Includes rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): Alexander T. Janke, Courtney W. Mangus, Christopher M. Fung, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(12)
Date: 12/2023
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Improving Access to Health Care Coverage in Rural Communities with Medicaid and CHIP
A recorded webinar that provides strategies and best practices to improve outreach in an effort to enroll American Indian/Alaska Native communities (AI/AN) in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Discusses the importance of healthcare access and offers resources and tools for enrollment outreach.
Additional links: Slides, Transcript
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Rural Health Association
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South Carolina State Health Assessment, 2023
Reports on the health status of South Carolina residents and identifies trends and priorities. Covers topics associated with each stage of life, including maternal and infant health, childhood and adolescence, adulthood, and healthy aging. Additional highlighted areas include population characteristics, health equity, health conditions, access, workforce, public health capacity, community and environmental influences on health, and more. Discusses rural issues throughout, and provides maps showing county-level data for selected topics. Includes a condensed State Health Assessment Companion Report.
Additional links: Companion Report
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Alliance for a Healthy South Carolina (AHSC), Live Healthy South Carolina (LHSC), South Carolina Department of Public Health
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