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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health disparities

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
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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Patients in Western Pennsylvania: Rural–Urban Disparities
Examines the impact of COVID-19 and related concerns on cancer patients in rural and urban areas of Pennsylvania. Analyzes a sample of 1,980 patient surveys from August-December 2020 and March 2021 by patient perception of pandemic-related distress, cancer care, COVID-19 impact on personal health, and more. Includes rural versus urban data on COVID-19 concerns related to cancer care as well as demographic breakdowns.
Author(s): Kathryn Demanelis, Margaret Rosenzweig, Linda B. Robertson, et al.
Citation: Cancer Causes Control, 34(7), 595-609
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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Disparities in Diabetes Care: Differences Between Rural and Urban Patients Within a Large Health System
Examines rural versus urban residence and the related impact on a patient's quality of diabetes care. Analyzes 2019 data of 45,279 patients with diabetes in a large healthcare system, comparing rural versus urban outcomes of 5 diabetes care metrics. Discusses health disparities in diabetes care based on geography.
Author(s): Randy Foss, Karen Fischer, Michelle A. Lampman, et al.
Citation: The Annals of Family Medicine, 21(3), 234-239
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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Rural Healthy People 2030: Common Challenges, Rural Nuances
Policy brief reporting the findings of Rural Healthy People 2030, a companion piece to the Healthy People 2030 initiative with a focus on health priorities of rural populations. Features statistics including the top 20 Rural Healthy People priorities with breakdowns by census region, Medicaid expansion status, gender, age, race, and field of employment.
Author(s): Morgan Kassabian, Aakriti Shrestha, Timothy Callaghan, et al.
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Association of Rural Living With COPD-Related Hospitalizations and Deaths in Us Veterans
Highlights a study aiming to identify the cause of higher COPD rates in rural areas. Utilizes VA data to draw conclusions about incidence and access to treatment for COPD for rural veterans. Breaks down data by age, comorbidities, and rurality, among other factors.
Author(s): Spyridon Fortis, Yubo Gao, Arianne K. Baldomero, et al.
Citation: Scientific Reports, 13, 7887
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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Health Care Capsule: Accessing Health Care in Rural America
Discusses challenges rural communities face related to healthcare access, such as limited healthcare providers, travel distance and transportation issues, insurance coverage, and access to broadband. Provides policy recommendations from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to address rural healthcare disparities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Cancer Survival in the United States 2007–2016: Results from the National Program of Cancer Registries
Examines one-year and five-year cancer survival rates by metropolitan and non-metropolitan county, further broken down by sex, race/ethnicity, age, and cancer type. Utilizes 2007-2016 Center for Disease Control (CDC) National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) survival data to discuss cancer survival health disparities.
Author(s): Taylor D. Ellington, S. Jane Henley, Reda J. Wilson, et al.
Citation: PLoS One, 18(5)
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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County-Level Geographic Disparities in Disabilities Among US Adults, 2018
Provides county-level estimates of 6 types of disability including hearing, vision, cognition, mobility, self-care, and independent living. Utilizes geocoded 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, Census 2018 county-level population estimates, and American Community Survey 2014-2018 poverty estimates to provide U.S. county-level maps showing percentage of disability and cluster patterns.
Author(s): Hua Lu, Yan Wang, Yong Liu, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 20
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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COVID-19 Mortality by Race and Ethnicity in US Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas, March 2020 to February 2022
Reviews COVID-19 mortality data for 977,018 adults between March 2020 and February 2022 to examine racial and ethnic disparities between various waves of the pandemic, particularly as it relates to rural or urban classification. Suggests policy changes to reduce mortality.
Author(s): Dielle J. Lundberg, Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, Ahyoung Cho, Rafeya Raquib, Elaine O. Nsoesie, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(5)
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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Tobacco Product Use Among Adults — United States, 2021
Examines use of combustible and noncombustible tobacco products among people aged 18 or older, using data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey. Features statistics on the prevalence of cigarette smoking and use of other tobacco products with breakdowns including urban or rural location and the prevalence of cigarette smoking adults by race, ethnicity, and depression diagnosis history between 2019 and 2021.
Author(s): Monica E. Cornelius, Caitlin G. Loretan, Ahmed Jamal, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 72(18), 475–483
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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