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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Infectious diseases

Lessons from the Fields: Farmworker Communities Confronting COVID-19
Describes the impact of COVID-19 on farmworker communities. Discusses barriers to preventive measures and healthcare, including lack of workplace prevention measures, testing and vaccines, and inadequate access to accurate and culturally appropriate information. Highlights cross-sector partnerships and best practices to support workers and their families during the pandemic.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Farmworker Justice Fund, Inc.
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U.S. Regional Differences in Physical Distancing: Evaluating Racial and Socioeconomic Divides During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines regional variations in physical distancing trends during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes differences by race, socioeconomic status, and rural and urban status.
Author(s): Emma Zang, Jessica West, Nathan Kim, Christina Pao
Citation: PLoS One, 16(11)
Date: 2021
Type: Document
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Combating Antimicrobial Resistance and Protecting the Miracle of Modern Medicine
Examines antimicrobial resistance and the problems facing population health, discussing health, economic, and infection prevention burdens. Chapter 5 highlights the University of Washington Tele-ASP program, which connect experts with antimicrobial stewardship teams at rural hospitals through telehealth. Offers recommendations for national action to address antimicrobial resistance.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Tracking a Pandemic: How Rural Health Clinics Utilized a Historic Investment to Fight COVID-19
Shares the results from a survey of 289 Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) across 40 states surveyed in April 2021. Describes the experiences of RHC staff and how the Rural Health Clinic COVID-19 Testing (RHCCT) program funding was used to meet the healthcare needs of rural communities arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Population Health in Challenging Times: Insights from Key Domains
Summarizes presentations and panel discussions from a September 21-24, 2020 workshop on how the field of population health is responding to and being changed by racial injustice and the COVID-19 pandemic. Examines lack of access to healthcare in rural and tribal areas, and explores the philanthropy sector's conceptual and practical responses to the pandemic and the movement for racial justice.
Author(s): Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Voices From the Field: A Qualitative Study of the Challenges and Promising Practices of Rural Public Health in Addressing HIV and Hepatitis C
Examines rural vulnerability to HIV and hepatitis C for people who inject drugs. Presents findings from interviews with 36 public health professionals from rural states, addressing funding limitations, staffing and infrastructure challenges, public health initiatives, telemedicine strategies, and community education programs.
Author(s): Martha Elbaum Williamson, Karen B. Pearson, Amanda R. Burgess, Jennifer D. Lenardson, Erika C. Ziller
Citation: Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, 44(2), 114-136
Date: 2021
Type: Document
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Urban and Rural Districts Showed a Strong Divide During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Results from the Second American School District Panel Survey
Report highlights the differences between rural and urban school districts in the ways they adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses the different approaches to addressing the physical and mental health and safety for students and staff and makes recommendations for school districts.
Author(s): Heather L. Schwartz, Melissa Kay Diliberti, Lisa Berdie, et al.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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The Impact of COVID-19 on Title VI Native American Aging Programs and Services
Infographic summarizing results of a survey of Title VI Native American aging program directors on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their programs and communities. Provides information on the needs of Native American elders during the pandemic, expanded or new services offered by Title VI programs, and workforce concerns.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Miami University Scripps Gerontology Center, USAging
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Financial Impact of COVID-19 on Rural Federally Qualified Health Centers
Infographic describing the estimated financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the communities they serve between April 2020 and June 2021.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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Sexually Transmitted Infections - Adopting a Sexual Health Paradigm
Highlights the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across the U.S. Discusses how marginalized groups, such as women, LGBTQ, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations, among others, are disproportionately affected. Details how the barriers to healthcare access in rural areas, particularly rural American Indian reservations, can affect the rates of STIs. Makes policy recommendations to address these disparities.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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