Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Populations
VA Health Care: Additional Assessments of Mileage Reimbursement Data and Veterans' Travel Costs Needed
Provides an overview of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) mileage reimbursement benefit that reimburses eligible veterans for the use of personal vehicles to attend VHA-approved care. Explores the extent to which the benefit helps defray travel costs by describing the distance a veteran would have to travel to receive a non-zero reimbursement across a variety of conditions. Presents VHA data on veterans' use of the benefit from fiscal years 2010 through 2023, as well as fuel costs incurred and mileage reimbursement for hypothetical trips to 3 VA health systems by rurality. Offers recommendations to the VA and VHA on the collection and assessment of veterans' use of the mileage reimbursement benefit and how travel costs vary by subpopulations, such as rural veterans.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) mileage reimbursement benefit that reimburses eligible veterans for the use of personal vehicles to attend VHA-approved care. Explores the extent to which the benefit helps defray travel costs by describing the distance a veteran would have to travel to receive a non-zero reimbursement across a variety of conditions. Presents VHA data on veterans' use of the benefit from fiscal years 2010 through 2023, as well as fuel costs incurred and mileage reimbursement for hypothetical trips to 3 VA health systems by rurality. Offers recommendations to the VA and VHA on the collection and assessment of veterans' use of the mileage reimbursement benefit and how travel costs vary by subpopulations, such as rural veterans.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Oversight Hearing Titled, "Examining Public Safety and Justice Resources in Native Communities"
Recording of a hearing from U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs discussing federal resources for public safety in tribal communities. Discusses drug-related crime, human trafficking, and violence and abuse. Includes testimony from Bryan Newland from the Department of the Interior, Patrice Kunesh from the Department of Health and Human Services, and Allison Randall from the Office of Violence Against Women. Captions included in the video player.
Additional links: Testimony of Allison Randall, Testimony of The Honorable Bryan Newland, Testimony of The Honorable Patrice Kunesh
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
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Recording of a hearing from U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs discussing federal resources for public safety in tribal communities. Discusses drug-related crime, human trafficking, and violence and abuse. Includes testimony from Bryan Newland from the Department of the Interior, Patrice Kunesh from the Department of Health and Human Services, and Allison Randall from the Office of Violence Against Women. Captions included in the video player.
Additional links: Testimony of Allison Randall, Testimony of The Honorable Bryan Newland, Testimony of The Honorable Patrice Kunesh
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
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Veterans Affairs: Actions Needed to Improve Access to Care in the U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States
Examines how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates the population of veterans in the U.S. territories and freely associated states (FAS) to inform resource allocation and outreach needs. Describes how the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) monitors veterans' use of and access to healthcare services at VHA facilities in the U.S. territories. Discusses challenges veterans face in accessing VHA services in the U.S. territories and FAS and VA efforts to address these challenges. Offers recommendations to the VA and Department of Defense to assess the data sources in its model for estimating the veteran population and its travel benefits policies for territory veterans.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Examines how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates the population of veterans in the U.S. territories and freely associated states (FAS) to inform resource allocation and outreach needs. Describes how the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) monitors veterans' use of and access to healthcare services at VHA facilities in the U.S. territories. Discusses challenges veterans face in accessing VHA services in the U.S. territories and FAS and VA efforts to address these challenges. Offers recommendations to the VA and Department of Defense to assess the data sources in its model for estimating the veteran population and its travel benefits policies for territory veterans.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Interconnected: Minnesota's Housing Crisis
A recorded video of a panel conversation focused on housing issues in rural and urban Minnesota. Discusses racial disparities in homeownership as well as housing and policy solutions. Transcript available below description.
Author(s): Esther Agbaje, Andrew Myers, Shereese Turner, et al.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Rural Policy and Development, Citizens League
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A recorded video of a panel conversation focused on housing issues in rural and urban Minnesota. Discusses racial disparities in homeownership as well as housing and policy solutions. Transcript available below description.
Author(s): Esther Agbaje, Andrew Myers, Shereese Turner, et al.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Rural Policy and Development, Citizens League
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Cohort Profile: The Assessing Imperial Valley Respiratory Health and the Environment (AIRE) Study
Details a prospective cohort study focused on examining the respiratory health effects of childhood exposures to wind-blown particulate matter (PM) in a rural area of California. Utilizes 2017-2019 data to observe asthmatic symptoms and other health indicators across sociodemographic categories. Discusses the impact of PM on childhood health and the potential for geographic disparities.
Author(s): Shohreh F. Farzan, Elizabeth Kamai, Dayane Duenas Barahona, et al.
Citation: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 38(4), 359-369
Date: 05/2024
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Details a prospective cohort study focused on examining the respiratory health effects of childhood exposures to wind-blown particulate matter (PM) in a rural area of California. Utilizes 2017-2019 data to observe asthmatic symptoms and other health indicators across sociodemographic categories. Discusses the impact of PM on childhood health and the potential for geographic disparities.
Author(s): Shohreh F. Farzan, Elizabeth Kamai, Dayane Duenas Barahona, et al.
Citation: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 38(4), 359-369
Date: 05/2024
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School-Based Health Centers as an Approach to Address Health Disparities among Rural Youth: A Study Protocol for a Multilevel Research Framework
Describes a study protocol to evaluate the impact of school-based health centers (SBHCs) on healthcare utilization, health outcomes, and education in rural, disadvantaged New York counties. Discusses risk factor identification and data collection at the individual, school district, and community levels.
Author(s): Xue Zhang, Mildred E. Warner, Sharon Tennyson, et al.
Citation: PLoS ONE, 19(5), e0303660
Date: 05/2024
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Describes a study protocol to evaluate the impact of school-based health centers (SBHCs) on healthcare utilization, health outcomes, and education in rural, disadvantaged New York counties. Discusses risk factor identification and data collection at the individual, school district, and community levels.
Author(s): Xue Zhang, Mildred E. Warner, Sharon Tennyson, et al.
Citation: PLoS ONE, 19(5), e0303660
Date: 05/2024
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Providing Behavioral Health Support for Older Adults
Podcast episode featuring a discussion with leaders of Broaddus Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital in West Virginia, describing how they work to identify and fill the unique mental health needs of older adults in the community, including the development of an intensive outpatient group therapy program for older adults.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Podcast episode featuring a discussion with leaders of Broaddus Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital in West Virginia, describing how they work to identify and fill the unique mental health needs of older adults in the community, including the development of an intensive outpatient group therapy program for older adults.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Who is at Risk Amid the H5N1 Influenza Outbreak? Characteristics and Health Coverage of Animal Production Workers
Analyzes demographic characteristics of animal production and aquaculture workers to determine risk for contracting H5N1 influenza, also known as bird flu. Discusses policy measures to address health threats.
Author(s): Josh Michaud, Drishti Pillai, Samantha Artiga, Jennifer Kates
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Analyzes demographic characteristics of animal production and aquaculture workers to determine risk for contracting H5N1 influenza, also known as bird flu. Discusses policy measures to address health threats.
Author(s): Josh Michaud, Drishti Pillai, Samantha Artiga, Jennifer Kates
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Tele-Behavioral Health Use Among Medicare Beneficiaries During COVID-19
Explores whether tele-behavioral healthcare was able to meet the demand for behavioral healthcare during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Examines behavioral healthcare and tele-behavioral healthcare use among Medicare beneficiaries in 2019 and 2020 by type of service and beneficiary characteristics, including urban and rural residence.
Author(s): Laura Jacobus-Kantor, Judith Dey, Emma Nye, et al.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Explores whether tele-behavioral healthcare was able to meet the demand for behavioral healthcare during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Examines behavioral healthcare and tele-behavioral healthcare use among Medicare beneficiaries in 2019 and 2020 by type of service and beneficiary characteristics, including urban and rural residence.
Author(s): Laura Jacobus-Kantor, Judith Dey, Emma Nye, et al.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Regional and Rural-Urban Patterns in the Prevalence of Diagnosed Hypertension among Older U.S. Adults with Diabetes, 2005–2017
Explores trends in the prevalence of diagnosed hypertension among Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes across four geographic regions between 2005 and 2017. Examines Medicare administrative claims data to describe sociodemographic characteristics of the sampled beneficiaries with diabetes. Uses the 2013 CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) classification scheme to compare the age-adjusted prevalence of hypertension in each region over time by rurality.
Author(s): Jalal Uddin, Sha Zhu, Gargya Malla, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 24, 24, 1326
Date: 05/2024
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Explores trends in the prevalence of diagnosed hypertension among Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes across four geographic regions between 2005 and 2017. Examines Medicare administrative claims data to describe sociodemographic characteristics of the sampled beneficiaries with diabetes. Uses the 2013 CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) classification scheme to compare the age-adjusted prevalence of hypertension in each region over time by rurality.
Author(s): Jalal Uddin, Sha Zhu, Gargya Malla, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 24, 24, 1326
Date: 05/2024
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