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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health disparities

Grantee Spotlight: Building Capacity for Tribal Health Providers to Deliver OUD Treatment in Rural Alaska
Profile features the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and discusses its work supporting providers and organizations who provide treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) in tribal communities in Alaska. Highlights some of the barriers to OUD treatment in rural Alaska and the methods used to overcome them.
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE)
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Improving Methadone Access for Rural Communities in the USA: Lessons Learned from Covid-19 Adaptations and International Models of Care
Explores the effect of changes to methadone treatment protocols for opioid use disorder in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on access to treatment in rural areas. Discusses telehealth, dispensing schedules, and distribution models before and during the pandemic.
Author(s): Jamey J Lister, Holly H Lister
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 21(4)
Date: 11/2021
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Long-acting Buprenorphine Injectables: Opportunity to Improve Opioid Use Disorder Treatment among Rural Populations
Explores a study on the potential effect long-acting buprenorphine injectables could have on access to treatment of opioid use disorder in rural areas. Discusses the functionality of the medication, as well as the different patient populations and healthcare settings that could potentially benefit from them.
Author(s): Michelle R.Lofwall, Laura C.Fanucchi
Citation: Preventive Medicine, 152(2), 106756
Date: 11/2021
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The State of Nutrition in America 2021
Video of testimony presented to the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry on Nov. 2, 2021. Discusses nutrition insecurity, nutrition-related health disparities, and diet-related disease, including ways in which this affects those who are low-income, rural, American Indians and Alaska Natives, and other racial or ethnic minorities. Includes links for transcripts.
Additional links: Testimony by Angela Odoms-Young, Cornell University, Testimony by Angela Rachidi, American Enterprise Institute, Testimony by Dariush Mozaffarian, Tufts School of Medicine, Testimony by Donald Warne, University of North Dakota, Testimony by Patrick Stover, Texas A&M University
Author(s): Dariush Mozaffarian, Angela Odoms-Young, Donald Warne, Patrick Stover, Angela Rachidi
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry
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Health Disparities in Rural Women
Discusses the health disparities that exist for rural women in all categories of women's health, including obstetric and gynecologic outcomes and access to care. Covers programs to improve healthcare services for rural women and recommendations to reduce health disparities.
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
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County Data Highlight Links between Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome and Placement of Infants in Foster Care
Explores the relationship between neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and the rate of children entering the foster care system. Summarizes county-level data from eight states and highlights community level factors such as maternal education, healthcare, and rurality, among others.
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Linking Families and Teens: Reducing Teen Pregnancy by Increasing Family Connectedness and Youth Self-Efficacy
Report details and evaluates a program designed to prevent unplanned teen pregnancies in rural communities. Highlights the programs structure and the measures used to evaluate it.
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Office of Population Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Presidential COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force Final Report and Recommendations
Report examining the impacts of COVID-19 on communities of color, tribal communities, rural and remote populations, and underserved communities through a health equity lens, offering proposed actions and outcomes to guide future federal health equity efforts. Highlights community organizations and community-based programs, including rural examples.
Additional links: Presidential COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force Proposed Implementation Plan and Accountability Framework
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health
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Longitudinal Analysis of Neighborhood Food Environment and Diabetes Risk in the Veterans Administration Diabetes Risk Cohort
Results of a study examining the association between neighborhood food environment and risk of type 2 diabetes across communities, with breakdowns by high-density urban, low-density urban, suburban, and rural locations. Features statistics including characteristics of the diabetes risk cohort, and incidence of type 2 diabetes by demographic characteristics, overall and by community type.
Author(s): Rania Kanchi, Priscilla Lopez, Pasquale E. Rummo, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 4(10)
Date: 10/2021
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Health Care in Rural America: Use, Affordability, and Access
Report on rural access to healthcare and the overall health of rural adults age 40 and older based on a survey from November 20 to December 18, 2020. Addresses disparities in health, income, and access to health insurance. Presents data on household income, mental health status, chronic conditions, concerns related to visiting healthcare facilities due to COVID-19, and more.
Additional links: Annotated Questionnaire
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: AARP
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