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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

COVID-19 Among Workers in Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities ― 19 States, April 2020
Examines COVID-19 cases among workers in 115 meat and poultry processing facilities reported by 19 states. Discusses factors potentially affecting risk for infection, including difficulties with workplace physical distancing and hygiene and crowded living and transportation conditions. Includes recommended changes to address these issues.
Author(s): Jonathan W. Dyal, Michael P. Grant, Kendra Broadwater, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(18), 557-561
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Public Health Response to the Initiation and Spread of Pandemic COVID-19 in the United States, February 24–April 21, 2020
Identifies factors that contributed to the spread of COVID-19 in early 2020. Discusses transmission due to travel, large gatherings (including a funeral in rural Georgia), high-risk workplaces such as rural meatpacking facilities, densely populated areas, and unrecognized transmission related to limited testing and asymptomatic and presymptomatic spread.
Author(s): Anne Schuchat
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(18), 551-556
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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The Effect of Rural Hospital Closures on Emergency Medical Service Response and Transport Times
Examines ways in which rural hospital closures affect EMS response time, transport time, and total activation time, using data from 2010-2016. Features statistics comparing rates prior to rural hospital closure and immediately post-closure.
Author(s): Katherine E.M. Miller, Hailey J. James, George Mark Holmes, Courtney H. Van Houtven
Citation: Health Services Research, 55(2), 288-300
Date: 04/2020
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Idaho Rural Physician Incentive Program (RPIP) FY21 Eligible Areas
County-level map with shadings showing geographic Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), population group HPSAs, and ineligible areas.
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
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Idaho Rural Health Care Access Program (RHCAP) FY21 Primary Care Eligible Areas
County-level map with shadings showing primary care geographic Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), population group HPSAs, and ineligible areas.
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
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Idaho Rural Health Care Access Program (RHCAP) FY21 Dental Health Eligible Areas
County-level map with shadings showing dental geographic Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), population group HPSAs, and ineligible areas.
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
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Encouraging Tribal Community Crash Reporting
Provides information on the process of working with 4 Native American tribes in North Dakota to establish a crash reporting system that generates more reliable information about motor vehicle injuries for Indian Nations. Evaluates current crash data and collection processes with goals toward reducing fatalities, promoting safety, and recognizing tribal sovereignty when collecting data.
Additional links: Research Brief
Author(s): Kimberly Vachal
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
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Urban and Rural Differences in Coronavirus Pandemic Preparedness
Examines the variation in hospital bed capacity by region in the U.S. and by metro and nonmetro status. Discusses urban and rural differences in hospital resources, including hospital and ICU beds per capita. Provides an interactive map displaying hospital beds per capita and select demographic characteristics of metro and nonmetro areas of each state and by hospital referral region.
Author(s): Kendal Orgera, Daniel McDermott, Matthew Rae, et al.
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organizations: KFF, Peterson Center on Healthcare
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"Meet People Where They Are": A Qualitative Study of Community Barriers and Facilitators to HIV Testing and HIV Self-Testing among African Americans in Urban and Rural Areas in North Carolina
Summarizes community-based strategies to increase testing among African Americans in both urban and rural areas of North Carolina. Identifies concerns over confidentiality, negative treatment by healthcare workers, and lack of support regarding self-testing kits. Discusses strategies such as decentralizing HIV testing, particularly in rural areas.
Author(s): Allison Mathews, Samantha Farley, Donaldson F. Conserve, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 20(494)
Date: 04/2020
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Proximity to Screening Site, Rurality, and Neighborhood Disadvantage: Treatment Status among Individuals with Sexually Transmitted Infections in Yakima County, Washington
Examines rurality, proximity to screening sites, and socioeconomic factors in relationship to individuals seeking treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Identifies barriers to STI treatment such as individuals living more than 10 miles from screening sites, living in micropolitan or rural areas, and others. Includes data on treatment for patients with STIs with breakdowns by sex and metropolitan or micropolitan area.
Author(s): Solmaz Amiri, Christine D. Pham, Ofer Amram, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(8), 2679
Date: 04/2020
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