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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Public health

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
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
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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 areas.
Author(s): Rajeev Darolia, John Tyler
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Brookings Institution, Brown Center on Education Policy
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Motivation to Change and Treatment Participation Among Syringe Service Program Utilizers in Rural Kentucky
Details a study on the efficacy of syringe services programs (SSPs) in connecting people who inject drugs to treatment programs in rural Kentucky. Breaks down data by age, sex, and substances used of SSP users, among other measures. Highlights rates of SSP users who sought treatment for substance use disorder.
Author(s): Hilary L. Surratt, Janet K. Otachi, Timothy Williams, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 36(2), 224-233
Date: 03/2020
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Low Burden Strategies Are Needed to Reduce Smoking in Rural Healthcare Settings: A Lesson from Cancer Clinics
Details a study on the effectiveness of an electronic health record-based smoking cessation module in providing cessation services to rural cancer patients. Presents data by patient characteristics, services accessed, and rural versus urban location, among other measures.
Author(s): Alex T. Ramsey, Timothy B. Baker, Giang Pham, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(5), 1728
Date: 03/2020
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MPH Students Tackle Real-Life Problems at Oklahoma's Critical Access Hospitals
Presents an overview of an Oklahoma State University (OSU) program that enables public health students, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Office of Rural Health (OORH), to address challenges facing Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in Oklahoma. Projects are selected based on priorities from Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs), with past efforts addressing mental health first aid, healthy eating, substance use, physical activity, and more.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Information for First Responders on Maintaining Operational Capabilities During a Pandemic
Provides resources to help first responders plan for the impacts of a severe pandemic. Offers ways to adjust operations to maintain readiness, planning tools for local leaders, and reference sheets with discipline-specific action steps.
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Fire Administration
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Genotyping and Subtyping Cryptosporidium To Identify Risk Factors and Transmission Patterns — Nebraska, 2015–2017
Examines Cryptosporidium in Nebraska, looking at the distribution of cases of cryptosporidiosis caused by Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis in rural and urban settings. Reports on rural cases due to animal exposures and urban cases in child care facilities.
Author(s): Brianna K. Loeck, Caitlin Pedati, Peter C. Iwen, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(12), 335-338
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Occupancy Rates in Rural and Urban Hospitals: Value and Limitations in Use as a Measure of Surge Capacity
Compares the acute care and intensive care unit occupancy rates between rural and urban hospitals in 2018. Presents state-by-state and national data. Explores the challenges of using this data to identify surge capacity in preparation of an increase in patient volume due to COVID-19.
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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CDC High Obesity Program Collection
Special publication featuring articles from the Preventing Chronic Disease journal. Includes articles highlighting programs that address the high rates of obesity in rural communities across the U.S. Each study evaluates the methods and efficacy of the interventions and discusses their implications on public health more broadly.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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