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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Public health

An Evaluation of Appalachian Regional Commission Funding of Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Projects: Fiscal Year 2009-Fiscal Year 2016
Assesses 379 drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) in fiscal year (FY) 2009 to FY 2016 to benefit communities in all 13 Appalachian states. Offers discussion on the impact of ARC-funded projects on communities, including increased employment opportunities, household benefits, improved public health, and more. Provides background information, challenges, and outcomes for various projects completed before the end of FY 2018.
Author(s): Jeff Hughes, Maureen Berner, Austin Thompson, et al.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, The University of North Carolina Environmental Finance Center
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Oral Health Surveillance among American Indians and Alaska Natives in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah 2013-2018
Report highlights oral health data from Indian Health Services facilities from 2013-2018 in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. Looks at data by state, age, gender, and services provided.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, American Indian Research Center for Health, Tribal Epidemiology Centers
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High COVID-19 Attack Rate Among Attendees at Events at a Church — Arkansas, March 2020
Reports on the spread of COVID-19 in a rural Arkansas church in March 2020, as well as spread within the community that was linked to the church.
Author(s): Allison James, Lesli Eagle, Cassandra Phillips, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(20), 632-635
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Beyond Opioids: Rapid Increase in Drug Deaths Involving Stimulants
Presents a breakdown of drug related deaths involving stimulants. Features a number of charts highlighting the data, including rural and urban, regional, and national comparisons.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation
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Public Health Response to the Initiation and Spread of Pandemic COVID-19 in the United States, February 24–April 21, 2020
Identifies factors that contributed to the spread of COVID-19 in early 2020. Discusses transmission due to travel, large gatherings (including a funeral in rural Georgia), high-risk workplaces such as rural meatpacking facilities, densely populated areas, and unrecognized transmission related to limited testing and asymptomatic and presymptomatic spread.
Author(s): Anne Schuchat
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(18), 551-556
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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COVID-19 Among Workers in Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities ― 19 States, April 2020
Examines COVID-19 cases among workers in 115 meat and poultry processing facilities reported by 19 states. Discusses factors potentially affecting risk for infection, including difficulties with workplace physical distancing and hygiene and crowded living and transportation conditions. Includes recommended changes to address these issues.
Author(s): Jonathan W. Dyal, Michael P. Grant, Kendra Broadwater, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(18), 557-561
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Encouraging Tribal Community Crash Reporting
Provides information on the process of working with 4 Native American tribes in North Dakota to establish a crash reporting system that generates more reliable information about motor vehicle injuries for Indian Nations. Evaluates current crash data and collection processes with goals toward reducing fatalities, promoting safety, and recognizing tribal sovereignty when collecting data.
Additional links: Research Brief
Author(s): Kimberly Vachal
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
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Rural Broadband in the Time of COVID-19
April 16, 2020 webinar recording highlights the state of rural broadband and its capacity to handle the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses remote work, distance learning, telehealth, the CARES Act, and the pandemic in tribal communities. Webinar is presented in two parts.
Additional links: Part 2 - April 22, 2020
Date: 04/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organizations: Daily Yonder, Rural Assembly
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Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Estimates Among Adolescents in the Mississippi Delta Region: National Immunization Survey‑Teen, 2015–2017
Examines HPV vaccination data for adolescents aged 13 to 17 years from the National Immunization Survey-Teen, 2015-2017. Compares HPV vaccination coverage estimates in rural and urban areas of the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) region with estimates in areas of the Delta states outside the DRA region and non-Delta states. Discusses reasons why parents do not intend to vaccinate adolescents.
Author(s): David Yankey, Laurie D. Elam-Evans, Connie L. Bish, Shannon K. Stokley
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
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The Opioid Crisis and Community-Level Spillovers onto Children's Education
Presents a study on the link between the opioid epidemic and children's educational outcomes. Evaluates community-level resources for handling the opioid crisis and how that correlates with educational outcomes, specifically in rural and underserved areas.
Author(s): Rajeev Darolia, John Tyler
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Brookings Institution, Brown Center on Education Policy
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