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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Infectious diseases

Bridging Gaps: Addressing HPV Awareness and Vaccination Challenges in Hispanic/Latino Rural Communities
Discusses disparities in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and HPV awareness experienced by Hispanics/Latinos in rural areas. Examines factors influencing HPV vaccine access and approaches to increasing HPV vaccine awareness and utilization.
Author(s): Gabriel A. Benavidez
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
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What to Know About Medicare Coverage of Telehealth
Discusses telehealth use by Medicare patients before, during, and after declaration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Notes temporary telehealth provisions set to expire December 31, 2024, telehealth provisions made permanent, and trends in use since 2020. Includes rural and urban comparisons of telehealth use since 2020. Discusses payment models for Medicare and Medicare Advantage, current policies related to telehealth, fraud, and the cost of coverage through Medicare.
Author(s): Alex Cottrill, Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Younger and Rural Children are More Likely to be Hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 Infections
Examines patient characteristics and likelihood of hospitalization among children with SARS-CoV-2, utilizing May 2020-April 2022 Arkansas Children's Hospital data. Analyzes hospitalization rates during each wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with demographic data breakdowns, including comparisons between rural and urban children.
Author(s): Rebecca M. Cantu, Sara C. Sanders, Grace A. Turner, et al.
Citation: PLoS ONE, 19(10), e0308221
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Adaptations to a Patient Navigation Program for Follow-Up Colonoscopy in Rural Primary Care Practices
Analyzes adaptations made by a patient navigation program to improve colorectal cancer screenings at rural primary care clinics in Oregon. Examines patient reflections and interviews as well as clinic meetings and reflections from practice facilitators. Discusses proactive adaptations of the program for a rural context as well as reactive adaptations made due to COVID-19.
Author(s): Jamie H. Thompson, Jennifer S. Rivelli, Jennifer L. Schneider, et al.
Citation: Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 30(7), 1457-1466
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Equitable COVID-19 Testing Access for Underserved Communities: The Success of Vending Machines
Examines the public health strategy of the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) to use vending machines for free distribution of COVID-19 tests. Focuses on placement of vending machines to improve access in rural and underserved areas, mitigating the spread of disease.
Author(s): Danielle Jamerson, Kimberly Franich, Cassius Lockett
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 114(S7), S558-S561
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Promoting Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccinations in Rural and Underserved Arizona: Experiences From Three County Health Departments
Provides background on health disparities related to the COVID-19 outbreak in Arizona and strategies to implement local vaccine access in rural and underserved areas. Discusses how health departments collaborated to serve rural, migrant, and Native American populations.
Author(s): Bryna Koch, Mona Arora, Brianna Rooney, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 114(S7), S546-S550
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Associations between Minority Health Social Vulnerability Index Scores, Rurality, and Histoplasmosis Incidence, 8 US States
Examines association between histoplasmosis and race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and rurality, utilizing county-level Minority Health Social Vulnerability Index (MH SVI) data. Breaks down histoplasmosis infection rates by level of rurality, with additional data on rurality and infection for 8 MH SVI themes including socioeconomic status, minority status and language, healthcare infrastructure and access, and more. Discusses rural health access and health disparities.
Author(s): Dallas J. Smith, Malavika Rajeev, Kristina Boyd, et al.
Citation: Emerging Infectious Diseases, 30(10)
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Trends in Severe Maternal Morbidity Complications by Patient Characteristics, 2016–2021
Examines severe maternal morbidity (SMM) in U.S. women by patient characteristics and type of SMM complication. Utilizes 2016-2021 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data to analyze yearly trends, with breakdowns for patient age, race/ethnicity, insurance status, income, and residence by large metro, medium/small metro, or nonmetro. Discusses impacts of COVID-19 on SMM trends.
Author(s): Lawrence D. Reid
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project
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Comparative Analysis of Physician Assistant/Associate National Certifying Examination (PANCE) Performance Trends: Pre and During COVID-19 Era
Analyzes the COVID-19 pandemic's influence on Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) scores and passing rates, utilizing 2017-2019 and 2020-2022 data of 59,459 Physician Assistant/Associate (PA) exam takers. Breaks down data by demographics and program details, including comparisons between small rural, large rural, and urban PA programs.
Author(s): Joshua Goodman, Andrzej Kozikowski, Andrew Dallas
Citation: BMC Medical Education, 24, 1071
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
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Fewer People Are Moving Out of Rural Counties Since COVID-19
Discusses reasons for population growth in rural counties since 2020, noting COVID-19 pandemic drivers of migration pattern changes among other factors.
Author(s): Richelle L. Winkler, Julia Petersen
Citation: Amber Waves
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
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