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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare needs and services

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Associated Declines in Cancer Incidence by Race/Ethnicity and Census-Tract Level SES, Rurality, and Persistent Poverty Status
Examines the impact of COVID-19 on cancer screening, treatment, incidence, and disparities among different population groups. Utilizes U.S. National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data to compare 2020 and 2015-2019 incidence rates at 13 different cancer sites. Analyzes various cancer types across sociodemographic variables, including race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, persistent poverty (PP), and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Benmei Liu, Mandi Yu, Jeffrey Byrne, Katheen A. Cronin, Eric J. Feuer
Citation: Cancer Medicine, 13(17)
Date: 09/2024
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Lessons for Future Pandemics: Temporal Evolution and Rural-Urban Variations in the Impacts of the COVID-19 on Opioid Use Treatment
Presents a study highlighting the lessons learned from opioid use treatment programs operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Explores the impact of the pandemic on treatment services. Discusses the use of telehealth for both counseling and medication prescribing, as well as the challenges faced by patients trying to obtain treatment during the pandemic.
Author(s): Zhongyang He, Jonathan M. Heess, Travis Young, Zhen Lei
Citation: PLoS ONE, 19(9), e0310386
Date: 09/2024
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Interconnected Youth Mental Health Crisis
A recorded webinar that discusses youth mental health in rural and urban Minnesota. Focuses on issues such as workforce shortages, risk and protective factors related to mental health, continuum of care, and more. Transcript available below description.
Author(s): Sue Abderholden, Sara Gonzalez Rodriguez, Wade McKittrick, Feven Tesfaye
Date: 09/2024
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
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AHRQ Report to Congress: An Assessment of Sepsis in the United States and its Burden on Hospital Care
Offers an assessment of hospital care for sepsis between 2016 and 2021 including trends in hospital utilization, morbidity, in-hospital mortality, and outcomes related to patient geographic and other factors. Discusses rural throughout.
Date: 09/2024
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Nursing Home Certificate of Need Moratoria During the COVID-19 Pandemic Had Little Impact on Access
Analyzes certificate of need (CON) moratoria and healthcare supply of skilled nursing facility (SNF) beds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizes 2015-2021 SNF cost report data to provide information on states that implemented CON moratoria, differences by rural versus urban counties, and impact on SNF bed supply.
Author(s): Anthony Yu, Christopher Whaley
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 61
Date: 09/2024
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Youth Mental Health: Where Rural Families Can Find Help Now
Provides an overview of mental health struggles in adolescents, with a focus on the impact of mental health workforce shortages in rural areas of Minnesota. Discusses opportunities to address issues through education, prevention, and mental health access via primary care or schools.
Author(s): Marnie Werner
Date: 09/2024
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
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CDC Rural Public Health Strategic Plan, FY 2024 - 2029
Outlines the CDC Office of Rural Health's strategic plan to improve health outcomes in rural communities, in collaboration with internal and external partners and federal agencies, by supporting and advancing rural public health science and practice. Identifies 4 key priorities for the next 5 years: advance results-based engagement with partners and communities to address rural public health challenges; strengthen rural public health infrastructure and workforce; advance rural public health sciences; and improve rural public health preparedness and response capacity.
Date: 09/2024
Sponsoring organization: CDC Office of Rural Health
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NHPCO Facts and Figures: 2024 Edition
Provides an overview of hospice and palliative care in the United States. Includes information and data on patient characteristics, access to care, reimbursement, barriers and facilitators to care, quality of care, and more. Includes data on geographic locations of hospice services and patients.
Date: 09/2024
Sponsoring organizations: National Alliance for Care at Home, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
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A Proposed Method for Identifying Interfacility Transfers in Medicare Claims Data
Discusses a methodology for identifying interfacility transfers (IFTs) to prevent underrepresentation of low-income and rural patients in the data. Utilizes 2011–2020 Medicare claims data of patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) to examine transfers with breakdowns according to age; sex; race; income; access to emergency department (ED), trauma, or intensive care unit (ICU) care; and metro, micro, or rural location.
Author(s): Sayeh Nikpay, Michelle Leeberg, Katy Kozhimannil, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 60(1)
Date: 09/2024
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Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S. 2024
Explores maternal healthcare access and provides county-level U.S. maps that show maternity care deserts, hospitals that offer obstetric (OB) care, distribution of OB providers, travel time to maternity care, chronic conditions of birthing people, social drivers of health, and more. Includes rural versus urban characteristics of the maternal health workforce as well as access and policy discussions specific to rural areas.
Date: 09/2024
Sponsoring organization: March of Dimes
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