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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Effect of Rurality and Travel Distance on Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy for Unilateral Breast Cancer
Analyzes the relationship between travel time and rurality for breast cancer patients seeking contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM). Utilizes 2007-2017 National Cancer Database data to examine demographic factors, patient rurality, surgery characteristics, and more.
Author(s): Madison M. Wahlen, Ingrid M. Lizarraga, Amanda R. Kahl, et al.
Citation: Cancer Causes & Control, 34, 171-186
Date: 04/2023
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Implications of COVID-19 on Safety-Net Oral Health Services
Examines COVID-19 pandemic impacts on Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other safety-net dental providers. Describes the challenges safety-net providers face in delivering care to underserved and rural communities, and examines impacts on safety-net providers offering oral health services through mobile programs. Features statistics on FQHCs offering oral health services, with breakdowns by region.
Author(s): Margaret Langelier, Simona Surdu, Theekshana Fernando, Sai Sindhura Gundavarapu, Alex Romero
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: Oral Health Workforce Research Center
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Best Practices for COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing
Summarizes findings of an environmental scan of testing and vaccination policies and programs serving people who are medically or socially at disproportionate risk for COVID-19 and related adverse outcomes. Identifies populations at disproportionate risk, including rural residents, and their barriers to COVID-19 testing, COVID-19 vaccination, and routine vaccination. Describes programs that aim to overcome these barriers and increase access to testing and vaccination services. Discuss the implications of these programs' strategies and approaches for future pandemics and public health crises.
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Mathematica
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Health-Related Quality of Life: Unhealthy Days, A Data Short Take
Reports on the number of days Minnesotans felt mentally or physically unhealthy from 2013 through 2021. Includes breakdowns of data by age, education, income, insurance type, race/ethnicity, citizenship, and RUCA region, which is further categorized by urban area, large rural city, small rural town, or isolated rural town.
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health
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Challenges and Solutions for Disaster Behavioral Health in Rural and Remote Communities
Describes the scope and diversity of rural and remote populations across the nation, highlighting sources of strength and struggle, including the effects of stigma, for rural Americans and rural healthcare providers. Explores potential approaches to disaster behavioral health in rural and remote areas, including governmental and policy approaches, community-based approaches, and telemedicine.
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center
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Evaluation of the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model Second Annual Report (Implementation Year 1)
Provides an overview of the Maternal Opioid Misuse Model, which provides evidence-based integrated care and care coordination for pregnant and postpartum Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder (OUD). Describes activities MOM Model awardees undertook during the MOM Model's first implementation year, July 1, 2021–June 30, 2022. Discusses barriers pregnant and postpartum people with OUD face in accessing high-quality, continuous care, specifically in rural areas.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Insight Policy Research
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National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services Meeting Summary, Bend, Oregon, April 26-28, 2023
Summarizes the 92nd meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS), which was held in Bend, Oregon. Presents an overview of national, tribal, and state perspectives on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program.
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Wisconsin Perinatal Periods of Risk (PPOR) Analysis, 2015–2019: Understanding Inequities in Fetal and Infant Mortality Impacting American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
Provides an overview of fetal and infant mortality in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations in Wisconsin from 2015-2019. Includes data on 4 perinatal periods of risk (PPOR) and comparisons between the AI/AN population and the general Wisconsin population. Discusses prevention areas and needs for culturally competent care related to sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), factors of low birthweight, and delivery complications and mortality related to low birthweight.
Additional links: Summary
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Department of Health Services
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Effect of the Communities That Care Prevention System on Adolescent Handgun Carrying: A Cluster-Randomized Clinical Trial
Analyzes the impact of Communities That Care (CTC), a community-based behavioral health intervention system, in reducing adolescent handgun carrying in rural areas. Examines survey data from 4,407 youth from 2003 to 2011 living in various rural communities and states in grades 5 through 12 and their likelihood to carry handguns.
Author(s): Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, Sabrina Oesterle, Emma L. Gause, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(4)
Date: 04/2023
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Rural and Urban Differences in Factors Associated with Inpatient Hospital Stays for Substance Use Disorder
Provides information on inpatient hospital stays for patients with substance use disorder (SUD) by rural and urban location. Utilizes 2018 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) data to examine 81,857 inpatient hospital stays, with rural versus urban data further broken down by age, sex, type of SUD diagnosis, secondary conditions and comorbidities, admission type and source, Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) status, payer type, hospital characteristics, and more.
Author(s): Craig Holden, Curt Mueller, Shena Popat, Alana Knudson
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
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