This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Population health

Supporting American Indian & Alaskan Native Communities Combating COVID-19
Reports on a virtual roundtable panel on health disparities related to COVID-19 facing American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Discusses the Indian Health Service response to the pandemic and gaps in pandemic-related services, including telehealth access, underfunded and understaffed healthcare facilities, data quality and information access, cultural literacy, and behavioral health needs. Addresses social determinants of health for Native populations, citing data from research studies and quoting roundtable panelists.
Date: 2020
Sponsoring organization: Executives for Health Innovation
view details
After Hurricane Maria - Predisaster Conditions, Hurricane Damage, and Recovery Needs in Puerto Rico
Report details the state of Puerto Rico's economy, environment, education, and healthcare both before and after hurricane Maria. Discusses the barriers to rebuilding various infrastructures across the commonwealth, including in rural communities.
Author(s): Jordan R. Fischbach, Linnea Warren May, Katie Whipkey, et al.
Date: 2020
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
view details
Development of a National Childhood Obesogenic Environment Index in the United States: Differences by Region and Rurality
Details the formation of a childhood obesogenic environment index (COEI), which was used to identify rural, urban, and other geographic differences in environmental factors associated with obesity. Variables used to calculate COEI scores include availability of fast-food restaurants, farmers markets, grocery stores, and other related facilities; access to exercise opportunities; violent crime; walkability; and more. Includes county-level data on COEI scores across the U.S.
Author(s): Andrew Kaczynski, Jan Eberth, Ellen Stowe, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 17(83)
Date: 2020
view details
The Opioid Crisis and the Hispanic/Latino Population: An Urgent Issue
Report highlights the opioid crisis in Hispanic/Latino populations. Details rates of illicit opioid use and prescription drug misuse, as well as overdose and death rates. Discusses measures taken in to provide treatment and prevention in Latino communities, including in rural and border areas.
Date: 2020
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Ten-Year Reflections on the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
Discussion of how data, evidence, guidance, and examples used in County Health Rankings & Roadmaps publications from January 2009 - January 2019 have helped communities improve the conditions in which their residents live. Examines how the methodology has changed over time, and includes a section on how the researchers adapted their methods so as to appropriately analyze data from rural areas with small populations.
Author(s): Bridget Booske Catlin, Willems Van Dijk
Date: 2020
Sponsoring organizations: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
view details
Compendium of Rural Oral Health Best Practices - 2020
Highlights examples of the best practices in rural oral healthcare across the country. Presents a number of models regarding workforce development and training, integration of care, telehealth, clinical care, and policy.
Date: 2020
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
Imported Infections in Rural Mid-West United States - A Report from a Tertiary Care Center
Analyzes data on imported infections that were seen, diagnosed, and/or treated from 2001-2018 within the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics to inform rural Midwest healthcare professionals about the importance of travel medicine. Includes a focused list of imported infectious diseases, information on the geographic origin of various diseases, and on the reasons for travel.
Author(s): Amy Meyer, Hariharan Regunath, Christian Rojas-Moreno, William Salzer, Gordon Christensen
Citation: Missouri Medicine, 117(2), 89–94
Date: 2020
view details
Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System
Examines how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, including those living in rural areas. Makes recommendations for clinical settings on screening for negative health impacts related to social isolation and developing interventions to help address this issue.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on the Health and Medical Dimensions of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults
Date: 2020
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
view details
The Rural Health Care Coordination Network Partnership Program: Avera St. Mary's Completing the Circle Project
Describes and examines the impact of a care coordination program developed by Avera St. Mary's located in Pierre, South Dakota. Used a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model, providing services to patients with type 2 diabetes. The program's care team connected patients to resources and coordinated the patient's primary care providers, medications, specialists, other health care services, and a variety of social services. Funded under the Rural Health Care Coordination Network Partnership Grant Program from 2015-2018.
Date: 2020
Sponsoring organizations: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details
The Rural Health Care Coordination Network Partnership Program: Chautauqua County Health Hospital Network
Describes and examines the impact of a care coordination program developed by the Chautauqua County Health Network in New York. Offers well-coordinated preventive health services and links to community-based services to patients with diabetes, congestive heart failure (CHF), or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who need regular support but are not medically frail. Funded under the Rural Health Care Coordination Network Partnership Grant Program from 2015-2018.
Date: 2020
Sponsoring organizations: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details