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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Culture and cultural competency

The Health and Social Impacts of the Maui Wildfires: Post-Disaster Care from a Sociocultural Lens
Highlights the impact of a wildfire event on existing health and social service disparities in Maui, Hawaii. Discusses housing, employment, finances, mental health, suicide risk, culture, social isolation, rurality, and service limitations. Notes opportunities and challenges for addressing these impacts using telehealth and outside assistance.
Author(s): Ryan Holliday, Lauren S. Krishnamurti, Shiloh E. Jordan, et al.
Citation: Hawai'i Journal of Health & Social Welfare, 83(3), 85-87
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
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Reaching the Unheard: Overcoming Challenges in Health Research with Hard-to-Reach Populations
Analyzes strategies to engage hard-to-reach populations in health research. Discusses two case studies focused on specific issues in health research: breast cancer screening among rural and urban Mexican women in Illinois and mental health needs of Afghan refugees in Oklahoma. Provides reflection on issues such as cultural competency, language used in research, cultural identity and representation of research staff, choosing appropriate research sites, and more.
Author(s): Venera Bekteshi, Munjireen Sifat, Darla E. Kendzor
Citation: International Journal for Equity in Health, 23, 61
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
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The Influence of Transformations in Supply on Methamphetamine Initiation Among People Injecting Opioids in the United States
Discusses the co-use of methamphetamine (MA) and opioids (pharmaceutical pills, heroin and fentanyls) through interview and observation of 30 individuals in West Virginia. Explores drug initiation and supply as well as evolving cultural beliefs and taboos of drug use, including those related to rural spaces in West Virginia.
Author(s): Sarah Mars, Jeff Ondocsin, Nicole Holm, Daniel Ciccarone
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 21, 57
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
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Addressing Adolescent Substance Abuse and Risky Sexual Health Behaviors Via Youth-Led Initiatives: A Review of the Teens Linked to Care Pilot Program
Evaluates the Teens Linked to Care (TLC) pilot program which is meant to reduce substance use and risky sexual health behaviors in high-risk youth, including sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY). Examines the program framework, strategies, and implementation in 2 rural sites and discusses the impact of education, access to care, and supportive environments to promote healthy behaviors. Includes demographic and behavioral health data of participants.
Author(s): Hailey Bednar, Suzanne McMillan, Turquoise Sidibe, Melissa Bennett
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(3), 252
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
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The Suicide Epidemic in Rural Minnesota: How We Got Here and How We Move Forward
Provides information on the yearly increase of suicides and deaths of despair in Minnesota, with data broken down by sex, region, and rurality. Discusses factors that impact suicide rates in rural areas, with a focus on rural and indigenous cultures, farming, stigma, firearm access, and more.
Author(s): Marnie Werner, Tracie Rutherford Self
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Rural Behavioral Health, Center for Rural Policy and Development
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Creating Community-Based Health Education Materials for Indigenous Farmworkers
Describes the importance of accessible and culturally relevant resources for Mexican and Central American Indigenous farmworkers, and outlines steps for health education material development. Identifies techniques for promoting health literacy and encouraging community input. Highlights the importance of distinguishing Mesoamerican Indigenous farmworkers from non-Indigenous Latino populations.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Language Access Florida, National Center for Farmworker Health, Rural Women's Health Project
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A Participatory Trust-Building Model for Conducting Health Equity Research With Rural and Urban Native American, Black, and Latinx Communities: WEAVE NM (Wide Engagement for Assessing Vaccine Equity in New Mexico)
Highlights an intervention that aims to increase vaccine equity, engagement, and community trust among rural and urban Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people in New Mexico. The community-based participatory research initiative explores social and cultural elements that shape engagement with the broader community and the effect this has on public health outcomes.
Author(s): Lisa Cacari Stone, Anabel Canchola, Elroy Keetso, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 114(Suppl 1), S41–S44
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
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Clinician Burnout in Rural & Tribal Communities
An infographic that describes clinician burnout in rural and tribal areas, with a focus on staffing challenges, cultural and community factors, scope of practice, continuity of care issues, and related resources and strategies to mitigate challenges.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Health Service Corps
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How Tribal Medical Education Programs Could Solve the Rural Health Care Crisis with Natasha Bray, DO
Highlights a partnership between The Cherokee Nation and the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine to address physician recruitment and retention in tribal communities. Discusses physician residencies, cultural competency, national physician shortages, and lessons learned. Transcript beneath podcast player.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: American Medical Association
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Primary Care Professionals' Perspectives on Tailoring Buprenorphine Training for Rural Practice
Interviewed 23 rural Ohio primary care professionals to identify barriers to prescribing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder treatment. Discusses the need for training addressing rural-specific barriers, limited patient access to required social supports, workforce, and stigma. Offers recommendations based on findings.
Author(s): Cheyenne Fenstemaker, Elizabeth A. Abrams, Benjamin Obringer, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 2024
Date: 2024
Type: Document
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