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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health disparities

Door-to-Door Vaccination Campaign Reaches the Most Vulnerable
Article and video describing the efforts of the Coalition Advocating for Pesticide Safety (CAPS), a community-based organization, to conduct COVID-19 vaccination outreach door-to-door in rural, at-risk, and immigrant communities in California. Describes the challenges facing public health agencies working in rural areas, vaccine hesitancy, and health disparities in rural areas.
Author(s): Stephen Johnson
Date: 07/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Freethink
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COVID-19 in a Rural Health System in New York – Case Series and an Approach to Management
Highlights the hub-and-spoke system implemented by a hospital in New York's largest rural county to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Draws data on COVID-19 patients from March to May of 2020, evaluates the system's efficacy, and explores the challenges of rural pandemic response.
Author(s): Eyal Kedar, Regina Scott, Daniel M. Soule, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 21(3), 6464
Date: 07/2021
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Rural-Urban Variations in Travel Burdens for Care: Findings from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey
Provides estimates of the distance traveled and time spent on one-way trips for medical and dental care, examines how rural residents' travel behaviors vary by sociodemographic and geographic characteristics, and evaluates factors associated with a high travel burden for medical and dental care among rural residents. Features statistics with breakdowns by time and distance traveled, age, sex, household income, and rural or urban residence.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Marvellous Akinlotan, Kristin Primm, Nima Khodakarami, Jane Bolin, Alva O. Ferdinand
Date: 07/2021
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Communities at Risk: Widening Health Disparities Present New Challenges in Aftermath of Pandemic
Describes the health status, health disparities, and socioeconomic disparities of vulnerable rural communities. Analyzes the relationship between rural community vulnerability and the stability of the rural health safety net.
Date: 07/2021
Sponsoring organization: The Chartis Group
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Access to Affordable Care in Rural America: Current Trends and Key Challenges
Describes geographic and demographic challenges that contribute to healthcare access and health disparities in rural areas. Covers patterns of insurance coverage between rural and urban areas, healthcare provider shortages, and rural hospital vulnerability and closures. Discusses programs and services supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reduce barriers to care in rural communities, including telehealth, healthcare workforce programs, and Rural Health Clinics and Community Health Centers.
Author(s): Gina Turrini, D. Keith Branham, Lucy Chen, et al.
Date: 07/2021
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Disparities in Amputation in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease
Examines health disparities related to amputation and the management of peripheral arterial disease. Discusses intersecting factors impacting the need for amputation, such as race/ethnicity, geography, and more. Includes county- and ZIP code-level state maps of West Virginia that show 2011-2016 risk estimates for amputation in patients with diabetes and/or peripheral arterial disease.
Author(s): Katharine L. McGinigle, Samantha D. Minc
Citation: Surgery,169(6), 1290-1294
Date: 06/2021
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Crosscutting Environmental Risk with Design: A Multi-site, Multi-city Socioecological Approach for Iowa's Diversifying Small Towns
Examines the intersection of built environments and environmental design with factors exacerbating health disparities in 3 small Iowa towns. Discusses how study results may be used by small towns to prioritize investments in built environments for vulnerable populations.
Author(s): Benjamin Shirtcliff, Rosie Manzo, Rachel Scudder
Citation: PLoS ONE, 16(6), e0252127
Date: 06/2021
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Urban–Rural Mortality Disparities from Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases in the United States, 1999–2019
Letter to the editor presenting data on chronic lower respiratory disease mortality between 1999 and 2019, including a population breakdown by 6 levels of metro and nonmetro status, using the CDC WONDER database. Discusses rural disparities in mortality and charts mortality trends over time.
Author(s): Paul A. Reyfman, Basil Khuder, Jacob B. Pierce, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 203(11), 1435-1437
Date: 06/2021
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Multilevel Modeling of County-Level Excessive Alcohol Use, Rurality, and COVID-19 Case Fatality Rates in the US
Presents a study on the relationship between COVID-19 outcomes and elevated alcohol use in rural counties. Looks at levels of alcohol use and misuse in rural counties prior to the pandemic and compares it with COVID-19 mortality data. Breaks down data by rurality and alcohol use while controlling for other comorbidities such as obesity, smoking, and being over the age of 65.
Author(s): George Pro, Paul A. Gilbert, Julie A. Baldwin, et al.
Citation: PLOS ONE, 16(6), e0253466
Date: 06/2021
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National RTAP/FTA Webinar: Rural Transportation Planning and the COVID-19 Response
Webinar recording discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected rural and tribal transit, their communities, and the providers responding to the pandemic. Features speakers from the Federal Transit Administration, the National Rural Transit Assistance Program, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Crawford Area Transit Authority, and Nevada County Transit Services.
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Transit Assistance Program
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