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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Populations

Helping Older Adults Age Well in Rural America
Provides an overview of strategies that mitigate challenges related to aging in rural communities. Provides data on healthcare access in rural areas and presents successful models that focus on transportation, social services, and alternative care models, such as paramedicine and hybrid care.
Author(s): Martha Hostetter, Sarah Klein
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Fentanyl in Native Communities: Native Perspectives on Addressing the Growing Crisis
Recording of a November 8, 2023 hearing discussing fentanyl in both Native Hawaiian and American Indian and Alaska Native Communities. Features testimony from Lummi Nation, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota, Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation, and representatives of the behavioral health and public health fields. Discusses the criminal justice system, behavioral health workforce shortages, health impacts of historical trauma, and more. Captions available within the video player.
Additional links: Dr. A. Aukahi Austin Seabury, Ph.D., I Ola Lāhui, Inc. - Testimony, Dr. Claradina Soto, Ph.D., Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California - Testimony, Mr. Eric M. Gettis, Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium - Testimony, The Honorable Bryce Kirk, Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck - Testimony, The Honorable Jamie S. Azure, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota - Testimony, The Honorable Tony Hillaire, Lummi Nation - Testimony
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
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Geographic Variation in Health Insurance Coverage: United States, 2022
Reports on rates of people who had private health insurance, public insurance, and who were uninsured according to the 2022 National Health Interview Survey. Presents coverage rates by urbanization level for adults aged 18-64 and for children aged 0-17.
Author(s): Emily P. Terlizzi, Robin A. Cohen
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Indian Health Service: Many Federal Facilities Are in Fair or Poor Condition and Better Data Are Needed on Medical Equipment
Examines the state of the Indian Health Service's (IHS) federally-operated medical facilities and equipment between January 2022 and November 2023. Describes IHS efforts to mitigate the negative effects aging facilities and equipment may have on patient care. Offers policy recommendations to the Director of IHS regarding equipment planning, acquisition, and management.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Malnutrition-Related Mortality Trends in Older Adults in the United States from 1999 to 2020
Analyzes trends in malnutrition mortality from 1999 to 2020 in adults over 65 years old. Examines mortality rates broken down by sex, race, Census region, age group, and location on the urban-rural continuum.
Author(s): Naydeen Mostafa, Ahmed Sayed, Omar Rashad, Omar Baqal
Citation: BMC Medicine, 21, 421
Date: 11/2023
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A Catchment and Location-Allocation Analysis of Mammography Access in Delaware, US: Implications for Disparities in Geographic Access to Breast Cancer Screening
Examines breast cancer disparities and screening access in representative urban and rural counties in Delaware. Analyzes demographic makeup of population, availability of transportation, and sites for mammography and breast imaging. Includes maps of screening locations and travel times to available facility as well as recommendations for additional facilities in areas with geographic or racial screening disparities.
Author(s): Jessica L. Webster, Neal D. Goldstein, Jennifer P. Rowland, Catherine M. Tuite, Scott D. Siegel
Citation: Breast Cancer Research, 25, 137
Date: 11/2023
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Improving Maternity Care for Indigenous Populations
Podcast episode featuring a discussion with Tina Pattara-Lau, M.D., maternal and child health consultant with the Indian Health Service Office of Clinical and Preventive Services, and Johnna Nynas, M.D., obstetrics and gynecology specialist at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center. Describes common disparities and systemic barriers Indigenous people experience in maternity care and ways hospitals and healthcare organizations can address these challenges and provide culturally-focused care.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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CY 2024 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System Final Rule (CMS 1786-FC)
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments for hospital outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) services for calendar year 2024. Summarizes provisions regarding changes to the community mental health centers (CMHC) Conditions of Participation (CoPs); payment for intensive outpatient program (IOP) services; payment methodology for Indian Health Service (IHS) and tribal facilities that convert to Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) status; the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR), and Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting (REHQR) Programs; and more.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Vaccination Coverage by Age 24 Months Among Children Born in 2019 and 2020 — National Immunization Survey-Child, United States, 2020–2022
Examines vaccination coverage for selected vaccines and doses among children born in 2019-2020. Supplementary Table 1 includes data for metropolitan and nonmetro areas by year and vaccine for birth years 2016 through 2020.
Additional links: Supplementary Table 1
Author(s): Holly A. Hill, David Yankey, Laurie D. Elam-Evans, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 72(44), 1190-1196
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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MotherToBaby Gives Rural Pregnant and Breastfeeding Moms 'Fingertip Access' to Exposure Experts
Provides an overview of MotherToBaby, which works to educate pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and their healthcare providers on the risks of exposures. Discusses how MotherToBaby's free services can support rural mothers, highlighting programs serving rural areas in Georgia and North Texas.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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