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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health disparities

Prioritizing Rural Populations in State Comprehensive Cancer Control Plans: A Qualitative Assessment
Discusses the development of comprehensive cancer control (CCC) plans at the state level to address rural health disparities. Reports on interviews with cancer control leaders about barriers and facilitators in creating CCC plans and the strategies to create effective partnerships and networks in rural areas.
Author(s): Rachel Hirschey, Catherine Rohweder, Whitney E. Zahnd, et al.
Citation: Cancer Causes & Control, 34, 159-169
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
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The Effect of Geographic Origin and Destination on Congenital Heart Disease Outcomes: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Examines surgical outcomes related to rural versus urban residence, distance to tertiary care, and reporting characteristics of associated surgical centers for Department of Defense (DoD) health insurance beneficiaries with congenital heart disease (CHD). Analyzes outcomes by cost, length of stay, readmission within 90 days, and patient mortality, further broken down by patient demographics, including rural-urban commuting area (RUCA).
Author(s): Spencer M. Millen, Cara H. Olsen, Ryan P. Flanagan, John S. Scott, Craig P. Dobson
Citation: BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, 23, 99
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
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Geography, Rurality, and Community Distress: Deaths Due to Suicide, Alcohol-Use, and Drug-Use among Colorado Veterans
Explores the connection between distressed communities and mortality disparities in the Colorado veteran population. Utilizes 2009-2020 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) to examine suicide, alcohol, and drug related mortalities, with demographic data broken down by sex, age, race/ethnicity, marital status, distressed community index (DCI), and frontier, rural, or urban location. Includes county-level maps showing DCI and rurality.
Author(s): Talia L. Spark, Colleen E. Reid, Rachel Sayko Adams, et al.
Citation: Injury Epidemiology, 10, 8
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
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Rural Health Safety Net Under Renewed Pressure as Pandemic Fades
Examines financial and operational metrics for rural hospitals, comparing hospitals in states that did and did not expand Medicaid, as well as the discontinuation of obstetrics and chemotherapy services. Discusses how the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation can provide a path forward for some rural facilities and explores seven characteristics that may have the greatest impact on a facility's consideration to convert to an REH.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Health Equity in Rural America, Part 2: The Two Georgias Initiative, with Lisa Medellin, Arlene Parker Goldson, and Tara Gardner
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast focused on rural health equity and the work of the Two Georgias Initiative. Features Lisa Medellin, Director of Programs for the Healthcare Georgia Foundation, Arlene Parker Goldson, health consultant for the Partnership for Southern Equity, and Tara Gardner, project coordinator for the Two Georgias coalition in Clay County, Georgia.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural Population Health in the United States: A Chartbook
Presents rural population health data by Census region and state, with some data by sex, race, and ethnicity. Includes U.S. maps showing county-level data as well as a variety of charts, including rural-urban disparity charts, state summary charts, and more. Topics addressed include access to care, health outcomes and risks, mortality, social determinants of health, and socioeconomic data.
Author(s): Randy Randolph, Sharita Thomas, Mark Holmes, et al.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Disparities in Melanoma Incidence and Mortality in Rural Versus Urban Michigan
Examines rural versus urban disparities in disease stage and disease-specific mortality of melanoma patients in Michigan. Analyzes 2014-2018 data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to observe county-level melanoma rates. Includes demographic breakdowns by age, gender, and residence, as well as discussions about potential causes of rural disparities.
Author(s): Richard A. Shellenberger, Timothy M. Johnson, Fatima Fayyaz, et al.
Citation: Cancer Reports, 6(2), e1713
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
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Radiotherapy Deserts: The Impact of Race, Poverty, and the Rural-Urban Continuum on Density of Providers and the Use of Radiation Therapy in the US
Investigates the prevalence of radiotherapy deserts for prostate cancer (PC) and invasive breast cancer (BC) at the county level in the United States. Analyzes physicians to persons at risk (PPR) and use to persons at risk (UPR) according to gender, race/ethnicity, poverty level, and metro versus non-metro county. Includes U.S. maps depicting death and incidence rate hot zones, high PPR density, high UPR density, and more.
Author(s): Anna W. LaVigne, Theodore L. DeWeese, Jean L. Wright, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Radiation Oncology, 116(1), 17-27
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Idaho Division of Public Health - Bureau of Rural Health & Primary Care Brief
Report highlights healthcare workforce and access issues in rural Idaho. Explores the health professional shortage areas and details measures to bolster healthcare professionals in the state.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Idaho Bureau of Rural Health and Primary Care
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COVID-19 Related Protocol Considerations and Modifications within a Rural, Community-Engaged Health Promotion Randomized Trial
Examines data collection protocol modifications in the Change Club (CC) intervention which aims to improve civic engagement and built environment factors related to obesity and other chronic disease disparities. Analyzes 12 rural communities engaged in the CC intervention and discusses the subsequent measurements to observe intervention impacts, which were adjusted from onsite to self-reported due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes data collection protocols that can establish both rigor and feasibility in rural health research.
Author(s): Rebecca A. Seguin-Fowler, Galen D. Eldridge, Meredith Graham, et al.
Citation: Methods and Protocols, 6(1), 5
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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