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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

A Statewide Program Providing Colorectal Cancer Screening to the Uninsured of South Carolina
Describes the implementation and clinical outcomes of the Colorectal Cancer Prevention Network (CCPN), a South Carolina statewide partnership providing no cost access to colonoscopy screening to uninsured populations seeking medical care at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), hospital-based indigent services, and other free medical clinics.
Author(s): Jan M. Eberth, Annie Thibault, Renay Caldwell, et al.
Citation: Cancer, 124(9), 1912-1920
Date: 05/2018
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Promising Practice: Summits Tackle Opioid Misuse and Treatment in Rural Illinois
Describes the Opioid Crisis Next Door summits, a series of conferences sponsored by the Illinois Center for Rural Health (ICRH) to increase the awareness of the opioid and heroin crisis in rural communities, and to identify ways for these communities to effectively respond to their misuse.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 05/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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The Interaction Between Rural/Urban Status and Dual Use Status among Veterans with Heart Failure
Details a study on hospitalization and emergency department use by veterans with heart failure who use VA-only services or use a combination of VA and other healthcare services. Examines the role of urban and rural status in the veterans healthcare utilization rates.
Author(s): Kelly J Hunt, Mulugeta Gebregziahber, Charles J Everett, Paul A Heidenreich, Robert Neal
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 18(2), 4495
Date: 05/2018
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Implementation of the MEDFRAT to Promote Quality Care and Decrease Falls in Community Hospital Emergency Rooms
Examines the implementation of Memorial Emergency Department Fall-Risk Assessment Tool (MEDFRAT), an evidence based fall-risk assessment tool, in 12 emergency departments part of a rural health care system in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota.
Author(s): Catherine A. McCarty, Theo A. Woehrle, Stephen C. Waring, Allise M. Taran, Laura A. Kitch
Citation: Journal of Emergency Nursing, 44(3), 280-284
Date: 05/2018
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Running the Numbers: County Level Dynamics of Heroin Mortality in North Carolina
Presents a study on opioid overdose mortality in North Carolina. Compares counties that have higher rates of overdose mortality with those with lower rates and aims to identify the factors that contribute to those rates.
Author(s): Alexander H Gunn, Bryce Bartlett, Grace Feng, et al.
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 79(3), 195-200
Date: 05/2018
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Analysis of Cost-of-Living Data for Pennsylvania Counties
Features a report on the cost-of-living in Pennsylvania by county. Looks at costs of utilities, transportation, and healthcare, among others, while identifying whether or not counties are rural.
Author(s): Kenneth K.T. Louie, James A. Kurre
Date: 05/2018
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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As Fatal Overdoses Rise, Many Americans See Drug Addiction as a Major Problem in Their Community
Highlights the results of a Pew Research Center survey on fatal drug overdoses and public concern about the opioid crisis. Features data comparing rural, urban, and suburban areas.
Author(s): John Gramlich
Date: 05/2018
Sponsoring organization: Pew Research Center
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Nursing Home Infection Control Program Characteristics, CMS Citations, and Implementation of Antibiotic Stewardship Policies: A National Study
Results of a study of 2,514 nursing homes to assess infection preventionist training and certification, staff turnover, and infection control program characteristics. Features statistics on facility characteristics, with breakdowns by locations in metro, large urban, small urban, or rural areas.
Author(s): Patricia W. Stone, Carolyn T.A. Herzig, Mansi Agarwal, Monika Pogorzelska-Maziarz, Andrew W. Dick
Citation: Inquiry, 55:1-7
Date: 05/2018
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EMS Services in Rural America: Challenges and Opportunities
Policy brief describing challenges for rural EMS providers, including workforce shortages and inconsistent funding. Features statistics including percentage of potentially excess deaths for 5 leading causes of death, with breakdowns by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and average EMS call time response and distribution of all-volunteer and all-paid staff EMS agencies, with breakdowns by 4 levels of population density. Discusses effects of the opioid crisis and Critical Access Hospital closures on provision of EMS services.
Author(s): Nikki King, Marcus Pigman, Sarah Huling, Brian Hanson
Date: 05/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Improving Rural Oral Healthcare Access
Policy position brief discussing the oral and systemic health connection and the dental workforce shortage. Highlights the need for interprofessional education and offers recommendations for improving access to rural oral healthcare.
Author(s): Joni Nelson, Jacob Thatcher, Joy Williams
Date: 05/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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