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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health disparities

America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2023
Provides a national and state-by-state overview of population health for older adults across 52 measures using data from 22 unique data sources. Covers social and economic factors, physical environment, clinical care, behaviors, and health outcomes. Highlights health disparities, including rural-urban disparities, across five categories of health. Includes state-by-state summaries and county-level maps for risk of social isolation by state.
Additional links: County-Level Maps for Risk of Social Isolation
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: United Health Foundation
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Seventh Biennial Report 2023: Health Issues for the State of North Dakota
Updates the previous six editions of this report with a comprehensive examination of healthcare workforce licensure data related to number of licensed professionals, locations, specialties, and demographics in rural and urban North Dakota. Includes a new chapter on pandemic planning and highlights the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences
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Common Problems, Common Solutions: Looking Across Sectors at Strategies for Supporting Rural Youth and Families Tool-Kit
Provides an overview of barriers faced by rural communities in supporting youth and families, and innovative strategies to improve outcomes for youth, families, and communities. Informed by interviews and listening sessions with practitioners and leaders working in rural areas across the United States.
Author(s): Lisa Pilnik, Christine Humowitz
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Georgetown University Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, U.S. Department of Justice
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Higher Hospitalization and Mortality Rates Among SARS-CoV-2-Infected Persons in Rural America
Presents a study on hospitalizations for COVID-19 based on rurality. Breaks down data for rural, urban-adjacent rural, and urban by age, gender, comorbidities, and outcome, among other measures.
Author(s): Alfred Jerrod Anzalone MS, Ronald Horswell, Brian M. Hendricks, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(1), 39-54
Date: 2023
Type: Document
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Future Planning for the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Enterprise: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Proceedings of a Workshop
Summarizes discussions held during a May 2022 workshop to explore the nation's public health emergency (PHE) preparedness enterprise. Includes key components, success stories, and failure points, to identify opportunities for effective catastrophic disaster, pandemic, and other large scale PHEs planning at the federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial levels. Mentions disparities between urban and rural or tribal areas throughout.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Disasters and Emergencies
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Disparities in Access to Radiation Therapy by Race and Ethnicity in the United States With Focus on American Indian/Alaska Native People
Explores access to radiation therapy American Indian and Alaska Native people across the U.S. Explores travel distances to receive radiation therapy for AI/AN majority and non-AI/AN majority groups. Breaks down data by Indian Health Service region.
Author(s): Solmaz Amiri, Matthew D. Greer, Clemma J. Muller, et al.
Citation: Value in Health, 25(12), 1929-1938
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Maternal Mortality in Indiana (2022): Contributing Factors and Policy Recommendations
Discusses causes of maternal mortality and related data in Indiana and the U.S. at large. Includes information on disparities with a focus on rural areas, race/ethnicity, and access to maternal health services. Provides county-level map of Indiana showing ratio of county population to obstetrician-gynecologists (OB/GYN) specialists.
Author(s): Nidhi Arun, Vatsla Sharma, Elizabeth Thuranira
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Indiana University Public Policy Institute
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Disparities in Patient Portal Access by U.S. Adults Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Reports on a population-based survey to determine if socio-demographic disparities exist in accessing online patient portals. Using data from the 2020 U.S. Health Information National Trends Survey, insured adults who had a medical visit in the previous 12 months were asked about their knowledge, access, and use of online medical records. Demographic characteristics of patients who were offered access, and for patients who accessed online portals are compared. Reasons for not using an online portal are discussed. Compares online patient portal use by different patient characteristics, including education, race/ethnicity, sex, age, location (metro vs nonmetro/rural), insurance type, use of internet, and quality of care.
Author(s): Akira Nishii, Celeste Campos-Castillo, Denise Anthony
Citation: JAMIA Open, 5(4)
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Improving Rural Health Through Telehealth-Guided Provider-to-Provider Communication
Presents the results of a comprehensive literature review to identify, summarize, and evaluate available research on the contributions of rural provider-to-provider telehealth communication and collaboration in addressing health disparities, and improving the health of rural populations. Topics cover the specific applications, effectiveness, implementation, sustainability, and barriers and facilitators of provider-to-provider telehealth in rural areas.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Full Report, Telehealth's Potential To Benefit Rural Healthcare Delivery: Infographic 1, Telehealth's Potential To Benefit Rural Healthcare Delivery: Infographic 2
Author(s): Annette Totten, Dana M. Womack, Marian S. McDonagh, et al.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Experiences with Health Care Access, Cost, and Coverage: Findings from the 2022 KFF Women's Health Survey
Presents findings from the 2022 KFF Women's Health Survey of 5,145 women ages 18-64 who were asked about their health status, use of prescription medications, accessibility to healthcare, their selected care sites, check-ups, use of telemedicine, and health coverage and costs. Includes data on telehealth services provided by urban and rural location.
Author(s): Michelle Long, Brittni Frederiksen, Usha Ranji Alina Salganicoff, Karen Diep
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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