Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Timing of State and Territorial COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders and Changes in Population Movement — United States, March 1–May 31, 2020
Reports on changes in population movement relative to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders issued from March 1 through May 31, 2020, based on anonymized location data from mobile devices. Includes data by county urban-rural classification using Rural-Urban Continuum Codes.
Additional links: Supplementary Table: Sample Size by Date of Stay-at-Home Order and Rural-Urban Strata
Author(s): Amanda Moreland, Christine Herlihy, Michael A. Tynan, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(35), 1198-1203
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
How Independent Primary Care Clinicians Leverage Trust to Help Vulnerable Populations
Examines how primary care clinics are meeting the needs of low-income, rural, and underserved patients. Features profiles of two New England facilities, including an independent clinic in rural Vermont.
Author(s): Martha Hostetter, Sarah Klein
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
view details
Toward Optimal and Equitable Rural Health
Explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced public health and clinical care systems and infrastructure. Features discussion on rural health disparities and offers recommendations for promoting health equity and improving population health.
Author(s): Eduardo Sanchez
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(9), 1340-1341
Date: 09/2020
view details
Buyback Program of Unused Prescription Opioids in US Rural Communities, 2017–2018
Describes a buyback intervention that was designed to encourage rural, ambulatory surgery patients to return unused prescription opioids to a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. Provides data on patient characteristics as well as percent of opioids prescribed and returned during 2017 and 2018. Includes implications for public health.
Author(s): Jean Liu, Julie Franklin, Frank Gesek, Joseph Anderson
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(9), 1318-1324
Date: 09/2020
view details
Funding and Service Delivery in Rural and Urban Local US Health Departments in 2010 and 2016
Uses nationally representative data from 2010 and 2016 to explore rural/urban differences in local health department (LHD) funding and service delivery. Includes data and statistics on LHD characteristics, sources of revenue, and types of services provided by LHDs, with information broken down by rurality.
Author(s): Kate Beatty, Megan Heffernan, Nathan Hale, Michael Meit
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(9), 1293-1299
Date: 09/2020
view details
A Public Health Lens on Rural Health
Presents an overview of an American Journal of Public Health issue that explores rural health matters within the framework of public health. Summarizes topics covered in the articles, including rural/urban disparities, shifts in funding sources for local health departments, implementation of telemedicine and mobile clinics, opioid use disorder, and more.
Author(s): Paul Erwin, Wendy Braund
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(9), 1275-1276
Date: 09/2020
view details
The State of Rural Public Health: Enduring Needs in a New Decade
Examines changes in rural/urban disparities over a 40-year period, including differences in life expectancy, social determinants of health, challenges facing local health departments (LHDs), and more. Discusses factors contributing to disparities and provides recommendations to support LHDs and improve public health in rural communities. Supplement contains figures depicting county-level data on life expectancy at birth as well as rural/urban differences in spending at LHDs and transfers to local governments.
Additional links: Supplement
Author(s): Jonathon Leider, Michael Meit, J. Mac McCullough, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(9), 1283-1290
Date: 09/2020
view details
ECHO Diabetes in the Time of COVID-19
A series of 16 free Continuing Medical Education (CME) accredited webinars offering specialty support for primary care providers when addressing the needs of patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: Stanford University School of Medicine
view details
High-Volume Invasive, Therapeutic Ambulatory Surgeries Performed in Hospital-Owned Facilities, 2016
Examines the 20 most common major ambulatory surgeries performed in hospital-owned facilities. Provides data by select patient and hospital characteristics, including urban-rural hospital location.
Author(s): Zeynal Karaca, Kimberly W. McDermott
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
view details
Pennsylvania Oral Health Plan 2020-2030
Describes how efforts, resources, and interests can be combined to strengthen the capacity in Pennsylvania to prevent oral disease and help people achieve a lifetime of good oral health and general health. Includes a section on underserved populations, and mentions rural throughout.
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Department of Health
view details