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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Suicide Rates by Industry and Occupation — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2021
Examines suicide rates for major and detailed industry and occupational groups. Includes information on suicide rates for occupations in industries that are largely rural, including mining, agriculture, fishing, and hunting.
Additional links: Supplementary Table 1: Major and Detailed Industry Groups, Supplementary Table 2: Major and Detailed Occupational Groups
Author(s): Aaron Sussell, Cora Peterson, Jia Li, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 72(50), 1346-1350
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Contraceptive Methods Women Have Ever Used: United States, 2015–2019
Examines contraception use among sexually active women aged 15-49. Utilizes 2015-2019 National Survey of Family Growth data and provides breakdowns by contraception type, race/ethnicity, education, religious affiliation, and urban versus rural residence.
Author(s): Kimberly Daniels, Joyce C. Abma
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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VA Health Care: Actions Needed to Improve Information Reported on Mobile Medical Units
Describes how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) utilizes mobile medical units to provide primary and specialty medical care to veterans in communities with veteran populations too small to support local facilities and in areas with limited access to specialty care, including rural areas. Examines VA's annual reports to Congress between 2018 and 2023 about mobile medical units' operations and performance. Offers recommendations to the VA to improve the reliability of the data and contextual information reported to Congress on mobile medical units.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Housing Shortages Are Making Recruitment and Retention Even More Challenging for Some Rural Healthcare Providers
Provides an overview of rural housing shortages and affordability concerns. Explains the impact of housing issues on the rural healthcare workforce. Features a housing development program involving a Critical Access Hospital in Colorado and an Oregon hotel conversion that combines units for healthcare workers and supportive housing.
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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State Actions to Build the Behavioral Health Crisis Continuum
Toolkit features a continuum of behavioral health crisis services and supports and discusses the strategies for program planning and development for state officials and agencies. Highlights models and resources for core components such as regional call centers, mobile crisis teams, and stabilization facilities, among others. Also includes crisis care principles, such as peer supports, law enforcement partnerships, and rural and frontier delivery challenges.
Author(s): Rebekah Falkner, Laura Galbreath, Sandra Wilkniss
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Rural Populations Facilitated Early SARS-CoV-2 Evolution and Transmission in Missouri, USA
Examines the role of rural communities in the the early COVID-19 pandemic period. Analyzes data from 544 urban and 435 rural COVID-19 specimens in Southwest Missouri between July and December 2020 to understand transmission and evolution of the virus. Discusses the importance of public health surveillance and mitigation efforts in rural areas.
Author(s): Cynthia Y. Tang, Tao Li, Tricia A. Haynes, et al.
Citation: npj Viruses, 1(7)
Date: 12/2023
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Oversight Hearing titled, "Fentanyl in Native Communities: Federal Perspectives on Addressing the Growing Crisis"
Recording of a Congressional hearing addressing fentanyl among Native communities. Includes testimony from federal officials discussing previous efforts and future priorities for solving the opioid crisis. Subtitles available in the video player.
Additional links: Adam W. Cohen Testimony, Glen Melville Testimony, The Honorable Roselyn Tso Testimony, The Honorable Vanessa Waldref Testimony
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
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Exploring Barriers and Promoters of CRC Screening Use among Agricultural Operators: A Pilot Study of an Application of Concept Mapping
Presents results from two agricultural operator focus groups, one of 7 women and the other of 7 men, which took place in rural Nebraska and discussed factors affecting the choice to be screened for colorectal cancer (CRC). Covers cost of care, access, awareness, family and community support, history of CRC, and provider-related variables. Identifies sex-specific factors influencing screening, and discusses approaches to screening promotion for farmers and ranchers.
Author(s): Cheryl Beseler, Jungyoon Kim, Roma Subramanian, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 23(4), 8413
Date: 12/2023
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Addressing the Direct Care Workforce Shortage: A Bipartisan Call to Action
Report discusses direct care worker shortages throughout the country. Details shortages of home health aids, certified nursing assistants, and residential care aids, among other direct care workers, and makes recommendations for decreasing shortages. Highlights some of the added barriers faced by rural communities.
Author(s): Lisa Harootunian, Kamryn Perry, Allison Buffett, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Mail-Based Self-Sampling to Complete Colorectal Cancer Screening: Accelerating Colorectal Cancer Screening and Follow-up Through Implementation Science
Examines strategies to improve colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates among diverse populations in the U.S. by utilizing self-sampling fecal immunochemical tests (FITs). Discusses the impact of FIT outreach among rural, urban, and tribal populations in the U.S.
Author(s): Samir Gupta, Autumn Barnes, Alison T. Brenner, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 20
Date: 12/2023
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