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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Families in Crisis: The Human Service Implications of Rural Opioid Misuse
Presents findings and policy recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services' 2016 meeting with rural residents, healthcare providers, and stakeholders regarding the impact and effects of opioid use disorders on rural families. Topics addressed include drug overdose and death, conflict with partners and children, emotional disturbance, adverse health risks, and related impacts on employment and economic sustainability.
Date: 07/2016
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Alternative Models to Preserving Access to Emergency Care
Explores proposals for maintaining timely access to emergency and other basic healthcare services in rural communities that may not be able to support a full-service hospital, including frontier extended stay clinics and free-standing emergency departments. Identifies models of care and various ideologies for the Secretary and the Department of Health and Human Services to consider when evaluating policy options.
Date: 07/2016
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Stratis Health Rural Palliative Care Impact Report
Report examines palliative care models that have proven to be effective in rural areas of Minnesota and establishes measures to understand ways in which palliative care offers value to patients and promotes community development.
Date: 07/2016
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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On Pills and Needles: Counties Fight the Opioid Drug Crisis
Special issue focused on how counties are responding to the opioid crisis. Includes an interview with Michael Botticelli, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, focused on the federal response to rural opioid misuse.
Citation: County News
Date: 07/2016
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
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Social Factors Affecting Pediatric Oral Health in North Dakota
Presents the findings of surveys given to North Dakota children and youth in grade school through high school to determine their knowledge of, and resources to practice, good oral hygiene. Results were tabulated by address disparities in the frequency of brushing, the consumption of sugary beverages, and access to oral healthcare supplies.
Author(s): Shawnda Schroeder
Date: 07/2016
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health
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Dentists Providing Oral Health Care to Long Term Care Residents: Survey Chartbook & Four North Dakota Case Studies
Reports on a survey conducted to assess oral health services among long-term care (LTC) facilities in North Dakota. Addresses oral health policies, care practices, and dental providers' views on geriatric oral health. Provides additional analysis through 4 rural case studies.
Author(s): Shawnda Schroeder, Patrick Bright
Date: 07/2016
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health
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The Role of Bias by Emergency Department Providers in Care for American Indian Children
Examines implicit and explicit bias by emergency department (ED) caregivers toward American Indian (AI) children and their parental units. Utilizes survey data from 154 providers across 5 Upper Midwest hospitals to determine bias against or preference for White or AI patients. Includes associations of the demographic variables of the caregivers with their Implicit Association Test (IAT) scores, including rural versus urban ED location.
Author(s): Susan E. Puumala, Katherine M. Burgess, Anupam B. Kharbanda, et al.
Citation: Medical Care, 54(6), 562–569
Date: 06/2016
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Disparities in Alcohol, Drug Use, and Mental Health Condition Prevalence and Access to Care in Rural, Isolated, and Reservation Areas: Findings From the South Dakota Health Survey
Presents a study comparing disparities in drug and alcohol use and mental health issues in rural and urban areas. Explores data from a cross-sectional survey of people in South Dakota in rural and urban areas, including on American Indian reservations.
Author(s): Melinda M. Davis, Margaret Spurlock, Kristen Dulacki, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 32(3), 287-302
Date: 06/2016
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Economic Evaluation of Community Water Fluoridation: A Community Guide Systematic Review
Details a study on the costs and benefits of implementing community water fluoridation (CWF) in a variety of different community types. Highlights some of the challenges to implementing CWF in rural communities.
Author(s): Tao Ran, Sajal Chattopadhyay
Citation: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 50(6), 790-796
Date: 06/2016
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Medicare Copayments for Critical Access Hospital Outpatient Services - Update
Estimates the impact of Medicare Part B coinsurance on beneficiaries receiving outpatient services at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and identifies the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) proportion of key services provided in CAHs.
Author(s): Allison Briggs, Matthew Toth, Sara Freeman
Date: 06/2016
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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