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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Infrastructure

Co-ops Play Vital Role in Extending Broadband in Rural Tennessee
Discusses the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act's impact on economic development, education, and healthcare improvement, and the ways in which Tennessee co-ops have supported the initiative.
Author(s): Anne Mayberry
Citation: Rural Cooperatives, 84(4), 10-13
Date: 2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Rural Development
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Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks
Provides resources and ideas on how to make current bicycle and pedestrian design appropriate for small towns and rural communities. Offers examples of project implementation and includes information on how mobility infrastructure can positively impact the health of rural citizens.
Author(s): Dana Dickman, Nick Falbo, Steve Durrant, et al.
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Highway Administration
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Examining the Role of a Community Coalition in Facilitating Policy and Environmental Changes to Promote Physical Activity: The Case of Get Fit Kaua'i
Examines Get Fit Kauai, a community coalition that brought changes in built environment (BE) policies and infrastructure changes to rural Hawaii. Describes how the community coalition developed a theory to explain the process of the community coalition facilitating BE change to support physical activity.
Author(s): Lehua B. Choy, Jay E. Maddock, Beverley Brody, Katherine L. Richards, Kathryn L. Braun
Citation: Translational Behavioral Medicine, 6(4), 638-647
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
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Building Rural Environments for Active Living
Describes the role of the built environment in community health and individual physical activity. Identifies rural infrastructure barriers to active living, and features a skate park and plaza in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
Author(s): Zachary Toliver
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Planning for Transportation Together: Collaborating to Address Transportation and Economic Resilience
Expands on the definition of economic development in transportation, and provides case studies demonstrating how state agencies, regional and rural planning and development organizations can work together to develop transportation facilities, infrastructure, and services to create jobs, improve access to employment, education, and community services including healthcare.
Author(s): Carrie Kissel, Brett Schwartz, Sara James, Susan Dyer
Date: 07/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Development Organizations
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Disparities in Adolescents' Residence in Neighborhoods Supportive of Physical Activity — United States, 2011–2012
Discusses the connection between adolescents living in neighborhoods that support physical activity (have sidewalks and walking paths, parks, playgrounds, and/or recreation centers) and overall health. Identifies differences in access to neighborhoods supportive of physical activity by ethnicity and race, income level, parental education level, and rurality. Provides recommendations for community-based projects for improvement.
Author(s): Kathleen B. Watson, Carmen D. Harris, Susan A. Carlson, Joan M. Dorn, Janet E. Fulton
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 65(23), 598-601
Date: 06/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Tribal Internet Access: Increased Federal Coordination and Performance Measurement Needed
Interviews officials from 21 tribal entities and 6 service providers to understand perspectives on high-speed internet access and barriers within remote tribal communities. Highlights the importance of high-speed internet for rural health care facilities to support telemedicine.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Impact of Providing In-Home Water Service on the Rates of Infectious Diseases: Results from Four Communities in Western Alaska
Examines how rural Alaskans' health is affected by limited access to in-home piped water. Reviews the electronic health records of 1,032 rural Alaskans to determine how transitioning communities to in-home piped water impacts rates of respiratory, skin, and gastrointestinal infections.
Author(s): T.K. Thomas, T. Ritter, D. Bruden, et al.
Citation: Journal of Water and Health, 14(1), 132-141
Date: 02/2016
Type: Document
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Associations Between Self-Reported Gastrointestinal Illness and Water System Characteristics in Community Water Supplies in Rural Alabama: A Cross-sectional Study
Examines the associations between self-reported gastrointestinal illnesses and household-level water supply characteristics in rural Alabama.
Author(s): Christine E. Stauber, Jessica C. Wedgworth, Pauline Johnson, et al.
Citation: PLoS One, 11(1)
Date: 2016
Type: Document
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U.S.-Mexico Border Needs Assessment and Support Project: Phase II Assessment Report
Describes water and wastewater conditions in the colonias on the U.S. side of the U.S.-Mexico border. Provides county-by-county information on specific challenges in the colonias. Includes recommendations to address the remaining need.
Date: 07/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Community Assistance Partnership
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