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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: COVID-19

Critical Access Hospitals' Initial Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Use of Federal Funding and Regulatory Flexibilities
Explores how Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) used federal relief funding and regulatory waivers to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic through August 2020. Summarizes results of a survey of CAH executives in eight states. Discusses the sources of federal funding CAHs received and the types of regulatory waivers and flexibilities these CAHs used.
Author(s): Ira Moscovice, Madeleine Pick, Megan Lahr, Nathan Bean, Keelia Silvis
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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COVID-19: HHS Agencies' Planned Reviews of Vaccine Distribution and Communication Efforts Should Include Stakeholder Perspectives
Discusses the perspectives of state and local health officials in four states and 12 national stakeholder organizations regarding federal COVID-19 vaccine distribution and education programs. Examines how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Services and Research Administration (HRSA) plan to evaluate vaccine implementation efforts. Offers recommendations for CDC and HRSA to obtain input from and share lessons learned with key stakeholders. Includes information on the Rural Health Clinic COVID-19 Program and the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Household Experiences in Rural America During the Delta Variant Outbreak
Examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural U.S. households. Covers financial, education, childcare, health and healthcare, and employment and work-related impacts related to the pandemic.
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, National Public Radio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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ICU Mortality in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection: Highlighting Healthcare Disparities in Rural Appalachia
Study examining 30-day COVID-19 mortality among ICU patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome transferred from rural Appalachian hospitals to West Virginia University Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia between September 30, 2020 and December 1, 2020. Examines baseline patient demographics, comorbidities, and clinical outcomes, comparing patients transferred from Critical Access Hospitals and other rural facilities to non-COVID-19 ICU patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Author(s): Sunil Sharma, Varun Badami, Edward Rojas, et al.
Citation: Critical Care Explorations, 3(10), e547
Date: 10/2021
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Changes in the Associations of Race and Rurality with SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Mortality, and Case Fatality in the United States from February 2020 to March 2021: A Population-based Cohort Study
Examines the associations of ethnicity, urban or rural residence, and clinical risk factors on COVID-19 infection and mortality among U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system enrollees between February 2020 and March 2021. Describes how these associations changed during this period.
Author(s): George N. Ioannou, Jacqueline M. Ferguson, Ann M. O'Hare, et al.
Citation: PLoS Medicine, 18(10)
Date: 10/2021
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The Impact of COVID-19 on People with Disabilities
Examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities. Covers access to healthcare and direct care workers, congregate care settings and transition, education, employment, effective communication, and mental health and suicide prevention services. Identifies challenges to rural residents throughout, including access to broadband in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to federal and state policymakers and other relevant stakeholders.
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Council on Disability
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COVID-19: Lessons Learned from Interior and Treasury's Administration of CARES Act Funds Could Improve Federal Emergency Relief to Tribes
Examines how the U.S. Departments of Interior and Treasury distributed CARES Act funds to tribes, the impact on tribes accessing and using these funds. Highlights the challenges the agencies and tribes faced regarding this funding. Offers lessons learned and policy recommendations for the Department of the Treasury to improve future federal emergency relief funding for tribes.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Needs Assessment for Physical Activity Information During COVID-19 Among a Nationally Representative Sample of Parents and Children Ages 6–17 in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study
Shares the results of a study examining the information needs of parents of children aged 6 to 10 and parent-child dyads of children aged 11 to 17 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Table 2 describes physical activity information needs by parent and child demographic data such as school status, work status, rurality, and more.
Author(s): Ashleigh M. Johnson, Emily Kroshus, Pooja S. Tandon
Citation: BMC Public Health, 21, 1953
Date: 10/2021
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COVID-19: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Accountability and Program Effectiveness of Federal Response
Discusses the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Provides an overview of federal actions on healthcare and economic policy areas through September 2021, including data on COVID-19 relief spending, testing, worker health and safety, and child nutrition programs. Offers 16 new recommendations to federal agencies regarding the proper use of relief funding, occupational health and safety, and fraud risks to unemployment insurance programs that would improve the federal response and preparation for future public health emergencies.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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COVID-19 Contracting: Indian Health Service Used Flexibilities to Meet Increased Medical Supply Needs
Examines the Indian Health Service (IHS) National Supply Service Center (NSSC) contract obligations to obtain COVID-19-related products and medical supplies. Describes the contracting approaches used and challenges IHS officials faced.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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