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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

'A Safe Place': Rural HIV Patients and Providers Fight Stigma, Isolation Through Connection
Reports on a variety of programs underway in rural areas for HIV prevention and treatment. Discusses the challenges and barriers, as well as strategies to address HIV in rural communities.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Monthly Excess Mortality Across Counties in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic, March 2020 to February 2022
Analyzes all-cause excess mortality between March 2020 and February 2022 by county and month to show trends in mortality by date and location. Highlights patterns seen over time between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Discusses the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on the trends.
Author(s): Eugenio Paglino, Dielle J. Lundberg, Zhenwei Zhou, et al.
Citation: Science Advances 9(25)
Date: 06/2023
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Obstetric Volume and Severe Maternal Morbidity Among Low-Risk and Higher-Risk Patients Giving Birth at Rural and Urban US Hospitals
Compares births in rural and urban counties in California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina to identify associations between obstetric volume and morbidity in low and high risk patients. Discusses suggestions for improving morbidity rates.
Author(s): Katy Backes Kozhimannil, Stephanie Leonard, Sara C. Handley, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 4(6)
Date: 06/2023
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The EMS and Community Paramedic Workforces Respond to COVID-19
Results of a study in which 17 key informant experts shared their perspectives on how the emergency medical services (EMS) and community paramedicine (CP) workforces responded to COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic. Also describes how the pandemic has affected EMS and CP. Features statistics on participant characteristics, with breakdowns by rural and urban locations.
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, Marieke S. van Eijk, Samantha W. Pollack, Benjamin A. Stubbs, Christopher Hanson
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Critical Access Hospitals: Views on How Medicare Payment and Other Factors Affect Behavioral Health Services
Provides an overview of Medicare payment policies for care provided by Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Explores how CAHs provide behavioral health services in their communities. Summarizes findings from interviews with officials from 10 CAHs, stakeholder organizations, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) regarding how Medicare payment policies and other factors affect CAHs' ability to provide behavioral health services.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Access to Primary Care Physicians Varies Across United States
Map showing county-level data on the number of primary care physicians per 10,000 residents.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Assessing the Effectiveness of Policies to Improve Access to Primary Care for Underserved Populations: Case Study Analysis: Kanawha County, West Virginia
Case study of policy initiatives to increase access to primary care, focusing on Kanawha County, West Virginia. Discusses workforce shortages, healthcare access, structural barriers to primary care, healthcare affordability, and more.
Author(s): Maanasa Kona, Jalisa Clark, Emma Walsh-Alker, Megan Houston
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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How a Black Community Brought Affordable Health Care and Clean Water to Rural South Carolina in the 1970s
Reports on a predominately Black rural community in South Carolina that worked together to provide indoor plumbing, build a health center, and improve health outcomes of their citizens in the 1970s.
Author(s): Olivia Lewis
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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Progress and Ongoing Challenges to Electronic Public Health Reporting Among Non-Federal Acute Care Hospitals
Data brief examining public health reporting among acute care hospitals, including rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), in 2022. Discusses challenges with the exchange of electronic health information, such as lack of capacity to exchange electronically, interface issues, and differing vocabulary standards. Presents data on the mean number of public health reporting types completed by hospital size, CAH status, rural/urban location, and independent/system affiliation. Appendix Table A4 contains data on the number of hospitals surveyed that reported at least one reporting challenge by state.
Author(s): Chelsea Richwine
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Global to Local Toolkit: Adapting Global Interventions for Local Public Health
A toolkit that discusses strategies for adapting evidence-based, global interventions in public health to local health departments (LHDs) in the United States. Provides an overview of a case study from a predominately rural LHD that used global strategies to address the behavioral workforce shortage in their area. Includes resources and tools for planning and networking.
Additional links: Are You Prepared to Go Global-to-Local? Checklist, Global-to-Local Partner Identification Tool
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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