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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Populations

State Innovations to Advance Respite Care: Policy Strategies Shared at the State-Federal Respite Summit
Presents strategies utilized by states to improve access to and quality of respite care services for family caregivers. Strategies cover awareness and outreach, respite workforce education, and serving diverse populations. Highlights strategies from Colorado, North Dakota, and Oklahoma focused on rural areas.
Author(s): Kimberly Hodges, Ella Taggart, Salom Teshale
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Facilitators and Barriers of HPV Vaccination: A Qualitative Study in Rural Georgia
Presents findings from interviews with 40 parents and young adults in rural southwest Georgia on attitudes, knowledge, and preferences related to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination uptake. Discusses challenges and opportunities related to transportation, knowledge, trust, and stigma.
Author(s): Courtney N. Petagna, Stephen Perez, Erica Hsu, et al.
Citation: BMC Cancer, 24, 592
Date: 05/2024
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Frontier Health Care: Ensuring Veterans' Access No Matter Where They Live
Recording of a May 15, 2024, U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs hearing regarding rural veterans' access to healthcare and efforts to address challenges to care. Covers rural staffing and recruitment, limited access to broadband, distance to healthcare providers, and more. Features testimony from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health, the Great Plains Veterans Services Center, the Government Accountability Office, and Disabled American Veterans.
Additional links: Alyssa M. Hundrup, Government Accountability Office - Testimony, Chauncey Parker, Great Plains Veterans Services Center - Testimony, Jon Retzer, Disabled American Veterans - Testimony, Peter Kaboli, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Rural Health - Testimony
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate
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Proximity to Hospital-Based Obstetric Care in a Maternity Desert in the Deep South
Examines access to hospital facilities with maternity services in a rural Alabama county by measuring driving distance from maternal residence to birth hospital. Discusses the impact of maternity care deserts on rural residents.
Author(s): Jenna James, Steven R. Schultze, Alyssa Lee, Allen Perkins, Casey L. Daniel
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 114(S4), S289-S336
Date: 05/2024
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Social Determinants of Health and Delivery of Rehabilitation to Older Adults During ICU Hospitalization
Analyzes likelihood of receiving physical therapy or occupational therapy during ICU hospitalization among older adults. Utilizes 2011-2018 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) data of 1,618 hospitalizations. Highlights social determinants of health associated with disparities in rehabilitation service delivery, including rural status, dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid, and limited English proficiency.
Author(s): Snigdha Jain, Terrence E. Murphy, Jason R. Falvey, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(5), e2410713
Date: 05/2024
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Map the Meal Gap 2024: A Report on County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2022
Provides information on food insecurity in the United States, focusing on how race and ethnicity impact access to food. Includes county-level U.S. maps that show food insecurity for children and the overall U.S. population. Includes regional data on counties with high food insecurity as well as by rural versus urban status.
Additional links: Technical Appendix
Author(s): M. Hake, A. Dewey, E. Engelhard, S. Dawes
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Feeding America
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Using a Customer Discovery Process to Enhance the Potential Dissemination and Scalability of a Family Healthy Weight Program for Rural Communities and Small Towns
Reports on factors influencing rural adoption of the Building Healthy Families Online Training Resources and Program Package, a family-based healthy weight program. Utilizes data from interviews with 47 individuals representing potential users, payers, and adoption influencers, including health departments, clinical healthcare providers, and community organizations. Includes discussion of organizational priorities, implementation challenges in clinical and community settings, and more.
Author(s): Gwenndolyn C. Porter, Jennie L. Hill, Kate A. Heelan, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 21, 57
Date: 05/2024
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Trends and Disparities in Pandemic Telehealth Use among People with Disabilities
Examines the use of telehealth services by Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities by analyzing data from the Medicare Telehealth Trends Dashboard; the 2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) and MCBS Winter 2021 Supplement; and the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey data from July 21, 2021, to August 8, 2022. Presents data on patterns of telehealth utilization by Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities by type of Medicare eligibility and number and type of disabilities, modes of telehealth used by the number and type of disabilities, and the availability of different modes of telehealth and access to video-enabled services. Exhibit 8 compares telehealth utilization trends among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries between 2019 and 2021 by Medicare eligibility and rural and urban status.
Author(s): Madjid Karimi, Lok Wong Samson, Sara J. Couture, et al.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Health Insurance Coverage and Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence and Postpartum Abuse Screening Among Rural US Residents Who Gave Birth 2016-2020
Examines the relationship among intimate partner violence (IPV), perinatal health insurance coverage, and postpartum IPV screening in rural U.S. communities. Utilizes 2016-2020 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data to analyze insurance status among rural residents, postpartum visits, and IPV screenings.
Author(s): Katy Backes Kozhimannil, Emily C. Sheffield, Alyssa H. Fritz, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(4), 655-663
Date: 05/2024
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Navigating Geographical Disparities: Access to Obstetric Hospitals in Maternity Care Deserts and Across the United States
Examines disparities related to maternity care access by analyzing travel distances to obstetric care across the United States. Provides data to nearest obstetric hospital by census tract, with further breakdowns according to maternity care desert (MCD) designation, rurality, race/ethnicity, and travel time. Includes U.S. maps showing spatial clusters of distance and travel time to obstetric care.
Author(s): Jazmin Fontenot, Christina Brigance, Ripley Lucas, Ashley Stoneburner
Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 24, 350
Date: 05/2024
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