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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

The Reliability of Wisconsin's 911 Ambulance Response
Reports on issues related to emergency medical services (EMS), such as inadequate staffing and a lack of funding, based on 2022 survey data from 216 Wisconsin EMS agencies. Provides information on EMS strain and operational needs that are specific to rural areas.
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Office of Rural Health
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The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use
Explores the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on mental health and substance use. Tracks rates of anxiety and depression, as well as substance use, from before and after the pandemic. Breaks down data by age and rurality, among other measures.
Author(s): Nirmita Panchal, Heather Saunders, Robin Rudowitz, Cynthia Cox
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Financial Risk Acceptance among Rural Health Care Providers Participating in the Quality Payment Program
Summarizes nonmetropolitan and metropolitan providers' participation in different Quality Payment Program tracks and subdivisions, and evaluates provider and patient-panel characteristics associated with financial risk acceptance. Features statistics on risk acceptance with breakdowns by specialty type and metropolitan status, and patient panel characteristics by risk type.
Author(s): Xi Zhu, Mina Shrestha, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Addressing the Long-Term Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Families
Report discusses the long-term physical, mental, and social outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Explores the effects of social isolation, school closures, financial hardships, and physical illness caused by the pandemic and highlights the groups that have been disproportionately affected, such as American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Additional links: Read Online, Report Highlights
Author(s): Board on Children, Youth, and Families
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Leveraging Telemedicine To Eliminate Outcome Disparities For Rural-Born Newborns
Presentation slides from a webinar discussing the barriers affecting care for neonatal encephalopathy in rural areas. Describes telemedicine strategies evaluating neonatal encephalopathy and methods for improving parent understanding. Identifies other applications of telemedicine appropriate for the care of newborns and children.
Additional links: Transcript
Author(s): Alexa Craig
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers
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American Indian and Alaska Native Communities Face a 'Disproportionate Burden of Oral Disease' - Reversing Inequities Involves Challenges and Opportunities
White paper explores the state of American Indian and Alaska Native oral health. Discusses some of the oral health disparities faced by AI/AN communities, such as historical and cultural factors, workforce shortages, and oral health literacy, among other factors. Presents solutions and strategic recommendations to address AI/AN oral health disparities.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Mary Altenberg, Terrence Batliner, Tommie Chavis II, et al.
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organizations: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, National Indian Health Board
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Teleneurology via Tablet Technology: An Effective Low-Cost Method to Increase Healthcare Accessibility
Presents a study on the use of low-cost tablets in place of more expensive "telemedicine robots" as a means of providing teleneurology services to small rural hospitals. Evaluates a hub-and-spoke teleneurology program based at Vanderbilt University Medical Center serving smaller, community-based hospitals in Kentucky and Tennessee. Draws data from physician and patient surveys.
Author(s): Kelly Harper, Claire Hanson, Bryan Eoff, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 23(1), 7591
Date: 03/2023
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The Mental Health, Substance Use, Physical Health, and Mental Health Treatment Need of Community Individuals Experiencing Homelessness in Hawai'i
Results of a study detailing the health-related needs of Hawai'i's unhoused people, most of whom live in rural areas. Features statistics on self-reported rates of depression and anxiety, illicit substance use, alcohol use, smoking, obesity, and overall physical health.
Author(s): Andrew M. Subica, Daryl S. Sampaga, Jana Ortiz-Misiaszek, Tammy K. K. Martin, Scott K. Okamoto
Citation: Community Mental Health Journal, 59, 1021–1026
Date: 03/2023
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Dental Care Use in the Midwest: Metro vs. Nonmetro
Examines dental care use in metro and nonmetro populations of the Midwest. Discusses reasons for seeking dental care and breaks down usage according to sex, race, and geography.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, March 2023
Reports on four aspects of Medicaid: 1) collecting and reporting Medicaid race and ethnicity data, 2) increasing the transparency and improving the collection of nursing facility payment data, 3) strengthening evidence under Medicaid drug coverage, and 4) reviewing hospital payment policy for the nation's safety-net hospitals. Chapter 4 examines the relationship between disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments to states and the number of uninsured individuals, the amounts and sources of hospitals' uncompensated care costs, and the number of hospitals with high levels of uncompensated care that also provide essential community services. Table 4-1 details DSH spending for urban and rural hospitals and for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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