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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Infectious diseases

Burden of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Related Behavioral Stressors of Students in Pennsylvania Schools
Results of a study investigating the stress effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural and urban Pennsylvania students' mental health. Uses primary and secondary data to compute a mental health stress index of youth mental stress levels and to examine the impact of the pandemic on youth behaviors.
Author(s): S.N. Gajanan
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Aligning Systems for Health: Research Learnings from Across the Nation
Summarizes findings from three cohorts funded through the Aligning Systems for Health initiative, which explores how systems can better work together to address community goals and needs. Covers research on how established collaborative systems responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, how collaborative systems can be measured, and the evidence base around approaches and conditions that foster collaborative systems. Features findings from the Strengthening Health Equity in Recovery Outcomes (SHERO) study, which measured and described the context surrounding cross-sector alignment within rural and urban community networks in Kentucky, and system alignment efforts across four tribal partners.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Health Policy Center
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Use of Telemedicine and Quality of Care Among Medicare Enrollees With Serious Mental Illness
Examines telemedicine use during the COVID-19 pandemic among Medicare beneficiaries with mental illness. Analyzes levels of telemental use by mental health practices who saw patients with schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder the year before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the first pandemic year. Discusses patient outcomes and quality of care as correlated with telemental use, with data broken down according to practice characteristics and patient demographics, including rurality.
Author(s): Andrew D. Wilcock, Haiden A. Huskamp, Alisa B. Busch, et al.
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 4(10)
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
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Use of Prenatal Telehealth in the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines the use of telehealth for prenatal appointments during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizes Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data to analyze 12,073 respondents who gave birth between June and December 2020, with data broken down according to insurance type, race/ethnicity, marital status, age, health conditions, and rurality.
Author(s): Rebecca A. Gourevitch, Amylee Anyoha, Mir M. Ali, Priscilla Novak
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(10)
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
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Self-Collection for Primary HPV Testing: Perspectives on Implementation From Federally Qualified Health Centers
Analyzes feedback from clinical staff, administrative staff, and leadership in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) regarding the implementation of primary testing for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) by self-collection. Utilizes focus group and interview data from 6 North Carolina FQHCs about themes such as increased screening rates, accuracy of self-collection results, workflow disruptions, financial implications, impacts on clinic quality measures, and more. Includes feedback from rural FQHCs.
Author(s): Amanda Le, Catherine Rohweder, Stephanie B. Wheeler, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 20
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
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2023 Maryland Hunger Profiles
Provides state- and county-level data on age of population, median household income, childhood and older adult poverty levels, and food program usage in Maryland. Discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food access as well as strategies to end hunger in the state.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maryland Hunger Solutions
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Council on Graduate Medical Education Meeting Minutes, September 8, 2023
Summarizes the Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME) meeting held on September 8, 2023. Includes an update from the White House COVID-19 Response Team, among other things. Features presentations on team-based care through the Quality Payment Program and Interprofessional Practice and Education and a Whole Health Approach. Include rural references throughout.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Council on Graduate Medical Education
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Implementation of Universal School Meals During COVID-19 and Beyond: School Food Authority and Parent Perspectives
Examines the implementation of the Universal School Meals (USM) policy during COVID-19 and the continuation of USM in California and Maine. Analyzes survey data from school food authorities (SFAs) and parents in both states. Reports on issues such as food procurement and staffing issues during COVID-19, parental perspectives on school meals, and benefits of USM. Includes feedback from rural areas in Maine.
Additional links: Brief
Author(s): Leah Chapman, Juliana F. W. Cohen, Wendi Gosliner, et al.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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CDC's State of Vaccine Confidence Insights Report: Vaccination in Rural America Special Report
Examines vaccine confidence and uptake among rural populations in the United States between 2017-2023, with a focus on COVID-19 vaccination. Covers differences in vaccine uptake among rural, suburban, and rural populations. Discusses concerns about vaccination and identifies strategies for successful outreach to rural areas.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Influenza, Tdap, and COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Hesitancy Among Pregnant Women — United States, April 2023
Examines influenza, Tdap (tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis), and COVID-19 vaccination coverage among women pregnant during the 2022-23 influenza season. Includes data on vaccination coverage for those living in rural and nonrural areas.
Author(s): Hilda Razzaghi, Katherine E. Kahn, Kayla Calhoun, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 72(39), 1065-1071
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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