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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Keeping the Doors Open: Vulnerable Rural Hospitals Benefit from Federally Funded Technical Assistance
Features the work of Texas A&M's Center for Optimizing Rural Health (CORH), which provides technical assistance through a federally funded program for vulnerable hospitals. Highlights the experiences of a participating Oklahoma hospital.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Higher Electronic Health Record (EHR) Functionality Lowers Urban Hospital Costs but Rural Impacts Are Minimal
Examines the relationship between electronic health record (EHR) functionality and hospital costs. Compares the effect of increasing EHR functionality in urban and rural hospitals and by inpatient and outpatient service categories.
Author(s): Claudia Alejandra Rhoades, Brian E. Whitacre, Alison F. Davis
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health
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Overview of Barriers and Facilitators in COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach
Provides an overview of lessons learned from infectious disease outbreaks about barriers to vaccine uptake. Describes examples of promising and innovative COVID-19 vaccination outreach strategies, including strategies to build vaccine confidence in rural communities. Identifies best practices that could be used to inform outreach in areas with low vaccination rates. Highlights online tools and resources to assist with the design of vaccine outreach programs.
Author(s): Aldren Gonzales, Euny C. Lee, Violanda Grigorescu, et al.
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Telephone Veteran Peer Coaching for Mental Health Treatment Engagement among Rural Veterans: The Importance of Secondary Outcomes and Qualitative Data in a Randomized Controlled Trial
Presents a study of telephone motivational coaching for veterans receiving primary care in rural VA clinics in Northern California and Louisiana. Compares 272 veterans who screened positive for mental health problems, examining impacts of veteran peer motivational coaching on depression, quality of life, posttraumatic stress disorder, and self-care. Discusses barriers to mental healthcare for rural veterans.
Author(s): Karen H. Seal, Jeffrey M. Pyne, Jennifer K. Manuel, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(4), 788-800
Date: 09/2021
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Primary Care Mental Health Integration to Improve Early Treatment Engagement for Veterans Who Screen Positive for Depression
Analyzes the impact of mental health integration into primary care clinics (PC-MHI) among veterans diagnosed with depression. Examines 15,155 patients that screened positively for depression, with data broken down by PC-MHI reach, timeliness of depression treatment, patient sociodemographic variables and health status, and clinic characteristics, including rurality. Discusses patient location and its relationship to veteran mental health disparities.
Author(s): Lucinda B. Leung, Karen Chu, Danielle E. Rose, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 59(S2)
Date: 08/2021
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Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Low-Income Households and Communities in North Carolina
Discusses impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on efforts to combat poverty and promote self-sufficiency in low-income communities across North Carolina. Presents excerpts from interviews with community leaders, and identifies takeaways related to the pandemic's impact on individuals, organizational strategies, partnerships and collaboration, and public health. Highlights rural communities and Black North Carolinians throughout, and covers topics including vaccination, internet access, mental health, and more. Provides recommendations for community action agencies.
Author(s): James H. Johnson Jr., Jeanne Milliken Bonds, Allan M. Parnell
Date: 08/2021
Sponsoring organizations: North Carolina Community Action Association, Urban Investment Strategies Center
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Preconception Health Disparities and Birth Outcomes among Foreign-Born and Native-Born Hispanic Women in Oklahoma
Evaluates the birth outcomes for Hispanic Oklahoma women, comparing those born in and out of the United States. Considers the mother's age, education, health insurance, and rurality. Makes recommendations to improve birth outcomes.
Date: 08/2021
Sponsoring organization: Oklahoma State Department of Health
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Secondhand Smoke Exposure at Home and/ or in a Vehicle: Differences Between Urban and Non-Urban Adolescents in the United States, From 2015 to 2018
Explores geographic disparities in secondhand smoke exposure for urban and non-urban youth. Analyzes 69,249 middle and high school students from the 2015-2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey and breaks down the sample by sex, grade level, type of tobacco, status related to living with a tobacco user, year studied, and urban versus non-urban location.
Author(s): Dale S. Mantey, Onyinye Omega-Njemnobi, Cristina S. Barroso
Citation: Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 23(8), 1327-1333
Date: 08/2021
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Improving Behavioral Health Services for Individuals with SMI in Rural and Remote Communities
Discusses behavioral health workforce shortages in rural and remote areas and the effect this has on healthcare access for people with serious mental illness (SMI). Highlights strategies for reducing barriers to access and improve workforce retention. Provides examples of programs to improve access in various states.
Date: 08/2021
Sponsoring organizations: American Psychiatric Association, SMI Adviser, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Police Chiefs Serving Small and Rural Municipalities: Profiles and Concerns
Presents a profile of police chiefs and departments in small and rural Pennsylvania municipalities and compares rural and urban departments. Analyzes concerns of rural Pennsylvania police chiefs, including domestic violence, illicit drug use, human trafficking, school safety, and mental health needs for themselves and for the citizens with whom they interact. Includes statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Jennifer C. Gibbs
Date: 08/2021
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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