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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Infrastructure

Highway Safety Behavioral Strategies for Rural Areas
Provides an overview of the risk factors of rural roads, such as rough terrain, wildlife, and lack of services over long distances. Includes examples of how to define rural roads, a related literature review of behavioral strategies in rural environments; safety toolkits and training; statistics on crashes, fatalities, and injuries; examples of counties that have reduced crashes; and more.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Transportation Research Board
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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2022 Communications Marketplace Report
Examines the state of competition across the broader communications marketplace, as well as laws, regulations, regulatory practices, or marketplace practices that pose a barrier to competitive entry and expansion of the marketplace. Identifies an emerging set of issues and opportunities presented by changes made in response to COVID-19. Includes data on tribal and rural areas throughout, including trends in broadband adoption and the percentage of households with multiple provider options between 2018-2021.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Communications Commission
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FCC's National Broadband Map: Implications for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program
Provides an overview of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) broadband mapping activities. Describes the November 2022 National Broadband Map and its implications for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, which was created to provide broadband service to unserved locations. Discusses potential implications of inaccurate data in the National Broadband Map and challenges to the accuracy of the map, as well as considerations for Congress.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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USDA's ReConnect Program: Expanding Rural Broadband
Provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's ReConnect program, which provides loans, grants, and loan/grant combinations to build and enhance broadband infrastructure in eligible rural service areas. Summarizes program details, funding allocations, the three rounds of awards, and funding awards by state. Compares the ReConnect program with other USDA broadband programs. Identifies issues that may impact the program's effectiveness, related legislation introduced in the 117th Congress, and potential policy options.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Office of Community Services (OCS) On Site: Live-to-Tape Site Visit to Ellendale, Delaware
Shows a site visit by the Director of the Division of Community Discretionary and Demonstration Programs (DCDDP) to rural Delaware to observe how the Rural Community Development (RCD) grant recipient South East Rural Community Action Partnership (SERCAP) is using funds to develop healthy water and wastewater services in rural communities. Transcript available under the description.
Date: 11/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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Advancing Environmental Health and Justice: A Call for Assessment and Oversight of Health Care Waste
Addresses the impact on humans resulting from healthcare waste that is processed, incinerated or transported to landfills. Discusses the inequities that occur with transport and waste sites that disproportionately harm communities of low-income and/or of color in urban and rural areas. Highlights evidence-based strategies and advocacy efforts for public health officials to support when developing solutions to reduce healthcare waste hazards and their effect on humans in rural and urban healthcare systems.
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Public Health Association
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Statewide Broadband Plan
Outlines goals and strategies to expand broadband access to rural and underserved areas of Pennsylvania. Describes importance of broadband in providing adequate, reliable emergency services, and enhancing tools to ensure access to healthcare services.
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development
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Remotely Sensed Measures of Hurricane Michael Damage and Adverse Perinatal Outcomes and Access to Prenatal Care Services in the Florida Panhandle
Examines the damage caused by Hurricane Michael in 2018 on residential buildings in the predominantly rural Florida panhandle and the relationship to adverse perinatal outcomes and access to prenatal care (PNC) services in this population. Compares aerial photography of building damage to 8,965 women's geocoded addresses, utilizing data from the Florida Department of Health's Office of Vital Statistics. Includes demographic information of women giving birth in high risk/damaged areas and the related associations to perinatal outcomes and access to PNC services.
Author(s): Ke Pan, Elaina Gonsoroski, Christopher K. Uejio, et al.
Citation: Environmental Health, 21, 118
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
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Exploring Multi-Sector Collaboration: A Playbook for New Rural Healthcare Models of Investment
A webinar recording highlighting a May 2022 report discussing how healthcare organizations can collaborate with economic stakeholders to improve population health. Discusses how to build partnership models by exploring case studies that use upstream health interventions in rural areas.
Author(s): Samantha Borow, Colleen Flynn, Ashley Hernandez, Rebecca Lemmons
Date: 11/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
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How To Improve Community Wildfire Defense Grants To Build Rural Resilience
Analyzes the impact of wildfires in northern New Mexico to plan for increased needs related to climate disasters in rural and vulnerable communities across the U.S. Discusses issues such as capacity in rural areas that create challenges when utilizing federal assistance. Provides suggestions for investments in built environment and collaborations across agencies to plan for grant funding that supports rural areas and increases rural resilience.
Author(s): Sofia Garcia George, Mark Haggerty
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for American Progress
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