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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Emergency preparedness and response

Rural Cafe: Health Equity in Action, Lessons Learned and Best Practices
A recorded discussion of local health department stakeholders on health equity, emergency preparedness and response, and problem-solving in rural areas. Transcript available below description.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Fortifying Community Health Centers: Fostering Community Resilience, Equitable Response, and Disaster Preparedness
Discusses the impact of community health centers, with a focus on the diverse patients they serve, the low-cost/high-quality healthcare, and the ability to serve patients with complex needs. Includes discussion on disaster response, care coordination, and policies, such as those related to telehealth, that affect community health center work.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Association of Clinicians for the Underserved, Healthcare Ready
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Critical Access Hospital-Local Health Department Partnerships to Address Rural Community Needs
Explores Critical Access Hospital (CAH) involvement in collaborative community health networks that include local public health departments (LHDs), other healthcare organizations, social service agencies, and other community organizations. Uses survey data from the American Hospital Association (AHA) to describe the collaborative partnerships CAHs are engaged in, the organizations with which they partner, and the activities these partnerships undertake. Presents findings from qualitative interviews with four pairs of CAH and LHD leaders regarding challenges and lessons learned from these local-level collaborations. Identifies three areas of activity - community health needs assessments, emergency preparedness planning, and emergent public health crises - that provide an opportunity to encourage collaboration between CAHs and LHDs and address priority needs
Author(s): Zachariah Croll, Celia Jewell, John Gale
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Transportation for People with Disabilities and Older Adults During COVID-19: Lessons for Emergency Response
Provides information on planning for transportation needs during emergencies and pandemics, with a focus on assisting older adults and people with disabilities. Discusses roles and responsibilities, personnel and resources, technology and tools, challenges and solutions, and strategies and sustainability, with reflections on issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes considerations for transit agencies in different locations, including rural and tribal.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Transit Cooperative Research Program
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Transportation Research Board
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Cybersecurity: A Path to Increase Rural Health Care Preparedness
Policy position paper discussing the importance of increasing cybersecurity measures across rural healthcare facilities and organizations. Highlights challenges rural providers face in achieving adequate cybersecurity protections, preparedness, and response. Offers federal and state policy recommendations to support and enhance cybersecurity in rural healthcare settings.
Author(s): Michael Hassell, Jenny Niblock
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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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
Type: Document
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2023 National Preparedness Report
Summarizes progress made and challenges that remain in building and sustaining capabilities needed to prevent and recover from threats and incidents that pose the greatest risk to the nation. Examines some of the disasters that occurred in 2022 and includes sections on risk areas, capability areas, and focus areas, including fire management, supply chain management, public health and emergency medical services, and long-term vulnerability reduction.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Emergency Management Agency
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The Medical Reserve Corps: Two Decades of Service - The Medical Reserve Corps 2022 Network Profile
Reports on aspects of the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), a national network of disaster-response volunteers, for the year 2022. Presents data and discussion on MRC demographics and distribution, volunteer management, unit capabilities, funding, and the future of the MRC. See Figure 2 for data on MRC units' geographic jurisdictions.
Author(s): Evelyn Zavala, Katherine Deffer, Beth Hess, et al.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Building Resilience through Disaster Relief and Recovery
Describes the impact of climate events on rural populations and community infrastructure. Provides strategies for localized disaster response and recovery solutions by utilizing partnerships, building resilience, and improving food access. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Author(s): Jonathan Sury, Nick Wiersma, Pam Chatman
Date: 11/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Study Protocol: Maintaining Preventive Care During Public Health Emergencies Through Effective Coordination
Presents a qualitative study protocol that examines screening rates at VA medical centers during COVID-19 to determine strategies that provide continued care during public health emergencies. Discusses selection of sites, which will be based on rurality, COVID-19 patient caseload, and performance related to cancer and mental health screenings. Highlights the importance of care coordination teams in regard to specialty care.
Author(s): Sylvia J. Hysong, Traber Davis Giardina, Jennifer Freytag, et al.
Citation: Implementation Science Communications, 4, 150
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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