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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Geographic Disparities Affect Access to Buprenorphine Services for Opioid Use Disorder
Results of a national study to determine the patient capacity of healthcare providers who received waivers to prescribe buprenorphine and the extent to which they were located in rural or urban areas with high rates of opioid abuse. Features 2018 county-level maps showing rates of patient capacity and counties with high need for treatment services.
Author(s): Christi A. Grimm
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Health Care Use and Access among Rural and Urban Nonelderly Adult Medicare Beneficiaries
Highlights healthcare access and utilization by disabled adults under 65 who are enrolled in Medicare. Compares rural and urban participants by demographics and geographic region, among other measures.
Author(s): Erika Ziller, Amanda Burgess, Deborah Thayer
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Medicaid's Role in Financing Maternity Care
Examines the characteristics of births financed by Medicaid and other payers in 2018. Describes the demographics and health status of pregnant women by insurance type, including urban versus rural residence. Provides state-by-state data on births by payer as well as the location of birth, access to prenatal care, and birth outcomes among Medicaid beneficiaries.
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2017 Emergency Department Summary Tables
Provides data on ambulatory care emergency department (ED) hospital visits. Table 1 provides metropolitan/nonmetropolitan ED visit data based on hospital location, Table 2 includes metro/nonmetro ED visit data by location of patient residence, and Table 14 has metro/nonmetro injury visit data based on hospital location.
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Supporting the Mental Health Well-being of High School Students
Report evaluates the perceived need for school-based mental health services and the levels of access to those services by rural students and students of color. Bases results on surveys of high school students and makes corresponding recommendations. Compares the access to mental health services in rural, urban, and suburban schools.
Additional links: Infographic
Author(s): Michelle Croft, Shannon Hayes, Raeal Moore
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organization: ACT Center for Equity in Learning
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Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake Among Adults, by Residence in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Counties in 12 States and the District of Columbia, 2017
Results of a study measuring the sugar-sweetened beverage intake of 68,896 adults, using information from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Features demographic statistics with breakdowns by frequency of intake, state, and metropolitan or nonmetropolitan location.
Author(s): Omoye Imoisili, Sohyun Park, Elizabeth A. Lundeen, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 01/2020
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QuickStats: Infant Mortality Rates For Metro and Nonmetro Counties, by Race and Hispanic Origin — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2017
Bar chart showing metropolitan and nonmetro infant mortality rates for infants of non-Hispanic White mothers, non-Hispanic Black mothers, and Hispanic mothers.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(3), 95
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Marketplace Premiums and Insurer Participation: 2017-2020
Reports on changes in average lowest silver premiums in the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplaces from 2017 to 2020 by state. Table 2 includes rural state-level lowest silver premiums by year for selected states, as well as year-over-year percent change.
Author(s): John Holahan, Erik Wengle, Caroline Elmendorf
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Urban Institute
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Challenges in Providing Substance Use Disorder Treatment to Child Welfare Clients in Rural Communities
Provides an overview of the unique challenges rural communities face serving parents with substance abuse issues, including provider shortages, limited access to health insurance, transportation and technological barriers, and lack of routine cross-systems collaboration with the child welfare system. Offers strategies to overcome these challenges in rural communities.
Author(s): Elizabeth Clary, Christina Ribar, Elizabeth Weigensberg
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Mathematica
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Trends in Opioids Prescribed at Discharge From Emergency Departments Among Adults: United States, 2006–2017
Examines trends in emergency department (ED) discharge opioid prescribing for adults from 2006–2007 through 2016–2017. Provides data by selected patient and hospital characteristics and the type of opioids prescribed. Table 1 includes data on the percent of ED patients prescribed an opioid at discharge by location of patient residence for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.
Author(s): Pinyao Rui, Loredana Santo, Jill J. Ashman
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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