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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health disparities

County-Level Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates on Colorectal Cancer Survival in the State of Georgia: Does County-Level Rurality Matter?
Evaluates 5-year colorectal cancer (CRC) survival rates in Georgia by county-level rurality and CRC screening rate. Uses 2004-2010 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program data. Discusses rural-urban CRC mortality disparities, and describes the influence of CRC screening on mortality.
Author(s): Meng-Han Tsai, Steven S. Coughlin, Jorge Cortes
Citation: Cancer Medicine, 2024
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
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Healthy Places NC: 10 Years That Changed the Way We Work
Reports on 10 years of activities by Healthy Places NC, an initiative focused on health improvement in North Carolina's rural and underserved communities. Discusses planning and implementation, challenges, lessons, case studies, network development and collaboration, and more. Describes the importance of addressing racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities and achieving health equity.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Video: 10 Years of Healthy Places NC
Author(s): Kristen Burwell Naney, Douglas Easterling, Tanya Beer, Mina Silberberg
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
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2024 Status of Women and Girls in Minnesota
Report examining economic opportunity, safety, health and wellness, and leadership equality among women and girls in Minnesota based on data from the American Community Survey, Minnesota Student Survey, and other sources. Highlights disparities in healthcare access, food security, and environmental health for rural populations.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Center on Women, Gender and Public Policy, University of Minnesota, Women's Foundation of Minnesota
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Modeling Early Detection and Geographic Variation in Health System Capacity for Alzheimer's Disease–Modifying Therapies
Examines the impact of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) to slow the progression of early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the availability of DMTs across the U.S. Discusses wait times for DMTs in rural versus urban areas and provides U.S. maps showing demographic and healthcare workforce supply data by county.
Author(s): Jodi L. Liu, Lawrence Baker, Annie Chen, Jessie Wang, Federico Girosi
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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The Role of Comorbidities, Medications, and Social Determinants of Health in Understanding Urban-Rural Outcome Differences among Patients with Heart Failure
Analyzes health outcomes for patients with heart failure and mitigating factors such as comorbidities, guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT), and social determinants of health (SDOH) in rural versus urban areas. Utilizes data from Medicare beneficiaries who had a heart failure hospitalization between 2008 to 2017 to observe mortality rates within 30 days or 1 year, hospital readmission rates, and emergency room (ER) admissions. Discusses health outcome disparities that correlate to patient location.
Author(s): Emily P. Zeitler, Joanna Joly, Christopher G. Leggett, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(2), 386-393
Date: 2024
Type: Document
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Rural-Urban Disparities in the Availability of Hospital-Based Screening, Medications for Opioid Use Disorder, and Addiction Consult Services
Compares availability of opioid use disorder screening, medication, and addiction consult services in hospitals by level of rurality. Utilizes data from the 2021 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey of Hospitals. Discusses access barriers to opioid use disorder services in rural areas.
Author(s): Berkeley Franz, Cory E. Cronin, Zoe Lindenfield, et al.
Citation: Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 160, 209280
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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Annual Report on the New Hampshire Health Care Workforce and Data Collection: Calendar Year 2023
Includes aggregate data and information on current and projected New Hampshire primary workforce needs and the participation rate on surveys completed by clinicians for the Health Professions Data Center. Features a state map showing rural and nonrural New Hampshire regional public health networks, and statistics on demographics, barriers to care, substance use and mental health, and maternal health. Includes license renewal data for various providers types, and workforce data on physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants, including percentage in rural regions.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, New Hampshire Rural Health & Primary Care
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Rural and Nonrural Racial Variation in Mentally Unhealthy Days: Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in North Carolina, 2015–2019
Compares rates at which rural and nonrural Black and White North Carolinians experience days with stress, depression, and problems with emotions, utilizing 2015-2019 North Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. Discusses social factors which may influence racial mental health disparities in rural areas.
Author(s): Caroline R. Efird, Derrick D. Matthews, Kathryn E. Muessig, et al.
Citation: SSM - Mental Health, 3, 100199
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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Rural America's OB Deserts Widen in Fallout From Pandemic
Explores the loss of obstetrics services in rural communities since 2011. Presents data on the number and percentage of rural hospitals that discontinued obstetrics services between 2011 and 2021. Discusses the impact of the loss of these services on maternal and infant health.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Pediatric Vaccination Rates in Rural America
Policy position paper regarding declining vaccination rates of children in rural communities. Compares rural and urban childhood vaccination rates and the potential for increasing health disparities. Describes a "5As of vaccine access" policy framework to evaluate current and future immunization policies and proposals. Offers recommended actions for federal, state, and local governments and organizations to improve rural vaccine uptake.
Author(s): Cynthia Calixte, Nitika Moibi, Andrea Stephenson Royster
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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