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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Strategies for Disseminating and Implementing COVID-19 Public Health Prevention Practices in Rural Areas
Describes strategies to communicate public health information about COVID-19 in rural areas. Outlines three areas important in tailoring messages to rural audiences: explaining COVID-19 risk and prevention in a rural context, involving community leaders, and utilizing strengths-based messaging.
Author(s): Beth Prusaczyk
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 142-144
Date: 01/2021
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The State of the Nurse Practitioner Profession, 2020: Results from the National Nurse Practitioner Sample Survey
Analyzes data from the 2020 National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioners to describe the nurse practitioner (NP) workforce in the U.S. Covers education, certification, practice patterns, and compensation, including statistics on NPs who practice in Rural Health Clinics.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: American Association of Nurse Practitioners
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National Health Service Corps Report to Congress for the Year 2020
Details program accomplishments of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), provides updates on Health Professional Shortage Area designations, explains recruitment efforts for NHSC Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs, provides estimates on number of patients seen by NHSC clinicians, and details short- and long-term retention rates. Features state-by-state data with breakdowns by urban and rural locations.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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The Future of Wisconsin's Healthcare Workforce
Examines number of healthcare professionals and their distribution across Wisconsin. Forecasts potential issues in the healthcare workforce and projected workforce supply. Includes rural versus urban percentage distribution of nurse professionals, physician assistants, pharmacists, and physicians.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Council on Medical Education and Workforce
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Arizona Health Workforce Profile: Occupational Therapists
Offers an overview of the Occupational Therapy (OT) workforce in Arizona, comparing rural and non-rural areas based on 2021 National Plan and Provider Enumeration System data. Breaks down population and OT distribution in urban focused, large rural, small rural, and isolated small rural towns.
Author(s): B. Koch, S. Coates, C. Drake, D. Derksen
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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2021 Rural Border Health Chartbook
Presents statistics on health indicators and social determinants of health in the U.S.-Mexico Border region, offering rural/urban comparisons, comparing self-reported Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic ethnicity, and examining proximity to the border. Covers access to care, use of preventive health services, health-related behaviors, COVID-19, mortality, and American Indian health.
Author(s): Elizabeth Crouch, Rachel Davis, Jan M. Eberth, et al.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Association, University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
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Healthy People 2020 Progress by Population Group
Provides charts and data tables that represent the final status of progress toward Healthy People 2020 target attainments by population group as part of the Healthy People 2020 Final Review. Breaks down progress in specific topic areas for various groupings, including geographic location, which provides rural and urban comparisons, as well as sex, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, family income, and disability status.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
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U.S. Regional Differences in Physical Distancing: Evaluating Racial and Socioeconomic Divides During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines regional variations in physical distancing trends during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes differences by race, socioeconomic status, and rural and urban status.
Author(s): Emma Zang, Jessica West, Nathan Kim, Christina Pao
Citation: PLoS One, 16(11)
Date: 2021
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Rural Snapshot: Pennsylvania Health Care Providers and Facilities
Provides statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas on numbers of Pennsylvania medical doctors, healthcare professionals, and mental health professionals; percent of healthcare and social service workers ages 55 or older; and hospital beds per 1,000 residents. Includes a county-level map showing locations and numbers of various types of Pennsylvania health care facilities, with shadings indicating rural or urban counties.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap
Report details the form and function of the transportation systems serving rural areas. Discusses gaps in service for all forms of rural transportation, including EMS and non-emergency medical transportation.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organizations: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, National Cooperative Highway Research Program
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