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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

Transforming School-Based Telehealth through Rural Partnerships
Webinar recording discusses how Eastern Oklahoma Medical Center implemented a school-based telemedicine program to improve access to care in rural and low-income Oklahoma communities. Details challenges and lessons learned related to billing and policy development, communication with parents, and partnerships with rural school nurses and administrators. Transcript available below the video description.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Author(s): Tiffany Griffis
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Heartland Telehealth Resource Center
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Assessing Older Adult Behavioral Health Diagnoses in Oregon by Geographical Area, Physical Disability Status, and Age
Analyzes rural and urban variations in behavioral health diagnoses among older adults in Oregon, utilizing 2017-2021 Oregon Older Adult Behavioral Health Initiative data drawn from 5,123 consultation reports. Compares rural and urban diagnosis rates and behavioral health diagnosis types, with further data breakdowns for select demographics.
Author(s): N.F. Parsons, Allyson Stodola, Ellis Hews, et al.
Citation: Aging & Mental Health, 30(1), 167-175
Date: 06/2025
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Rural–Urban Disparities in Perinatal Smoking in the United States: Trends and Determinants
Analyzes rural versus urban disparities in perinatal smoking. Utilizes 2009-2021 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data to examine differences in smoking status according to rurality, region, demographics, social indicators, and more.
Author(s): Patricia Da Rosa, Matthias Richter
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(6), 895
Date: 06/2025
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Supporting Community Mental Health in Libraries: A Toolkit for Implementing Evidence-Based Approaches
Toolkit designed to help librarians identify and implement mental health supports within libraries to support their community members' mental well-being. Builds on findings from an implementation evaluation of from Libraries for Health (L4H), a pilot program that embedded nonclinical adult mental health supports into ten libraries in rural Texas.
Author(s): Amy L. Shearer, Ivy Todd, Karen Christianson, et al.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Alaska Community Needs Assessment, 2025-2027
Results of a 2024-2025 series of surveys that gather household-level data on individualized, local needs in the areas of education, employment, workforce development, food security, and access to healthcare resources. Features demographics and statistics on disabilities, poverty, education level, rural housing, healthcare access, deaths of despair, substance use, and supply and demand of dental, mental health, and primary care providers.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc.
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Assessing Temporal Changes in Spatially-Varying Disparities in Tobacco Retailer Density across Ohio
Examines how tobacco retailer density (TRD) across Ohio contributes to disparities in tobacco use. Utilizes 2017-2022 geocoded data on TBD, with breakdowns according to census tract sociodemographic characteristics and urban, suburban, or rural neighborhood type.
Author(s): Rui Qiang, Peter F. Craigmile, Wendy Hyde, Abby Shores, Megan E. Roberts
Citation: Ohio Journal of Public Health, 7(2)
Date: 06/2025
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Association of a State-Wide Alternative Payment Model for Rural Hospitals with Bypass for Elective Surgeries
Examines the impact of the payment model, Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM), on rural hospital bypass for elective surgeries. Utilizes 2016-2022 all-payer visit-level inpatient discharge data to measure 175,138 surgeries in Pennsylvania, with data on risk level of elective surgery, hospital type, payer type, and more.
Author(s): Donald S. Bourne, Zhaojun Sun, Bruce L. Jacobs, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 60(3), e14442
Date: 06/2025
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Family Weight Management in Rural U.S. Communities: A Mixed Methods Study of Parent and Child Perspectives
Examines interest in behavioral health programming to treat childhood obesity, utilizing focus group excerpts and survey data from 33 parents and 15 children in rural Southern counties. Highlights concerns, suggestions, and desired outcomes for program implementation.
Author(s): Alyssa Button, Denise Holston, Jamila Freightman, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 25, 2089
Date: 06/2025
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Integrating Mental Health Support into Rural Libraries: Evaluation of the Libraries for Health (L4H) Initiative
Presents findings from an evaluation of the implementation of Libraries for Health (L4H), a pilot project embedding nonclinical adult mental health supports into ten libraries in rural Texas. Summarizes how libraries implemented L4H, barriers and facilitators of implementation, and efforts to to build and sustain the program and sustain their capacity to address patrons' mental health needs.
Additional links: Research Summary
Author(s): Lynsay Ayer, Karen Christianson, Ivy Todd, et al.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Difference-Making Factors for Successful Implementation of a Multicomponent Colorectal Cancer Screening Program in Rural Clinics (SMARTER CRC)
Evaluates multicomponent colorectal cancer screening programs at 14 rural primary care clinics to identify factors associated with higher rates of screening. Interventions include using mailed outreach materials and patient navigation programs in partnership with health plans. Discusses the effectiveness of outreach activities conducted by the clinic or a third-party vendor as well as collaborations between clinics and health plans.
Author(s): Amanda F. Petrik, Brittany Badicke, Melinda M. Davis, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Medicine, 12
Date: 06/2025
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