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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Washington State's 2019 Registered Nurse Workforce
Reports on the existing registered nurse (RN) workforce supply in the state of Washington. Highlights the characteristics, distribution, qualifications, and practice settings of RNs using data collected from a 2019 Nursys e-Notify survey conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) and from state license renewals.
Additional links: Appendix – Unweighted Response Counts and Percentages for Each Survey Question
Author(s): Benjamin A. Stubbs, Susan M. Skillman
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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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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Exploring State Data Sources to Monitor Rural Emergency Medical Services Performance Improvement
Examines potential sources of data that State Flex Programs (SFPs) could utilize to analyze and improve rural emergency medical services (EMS). Discusses challenges facing rural EMS systems and the assessment of these systems by SFPs. Explores how SFPs can support rural EMS data collection initiatives.
Author(s): John Gale, Karen Pearson, Yvonne Jonk
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths — United States, 2017–2018
Examines drug overdose deaths involving all opioids, prescription opioids, heroin, and synthetic opioids other than methadone. Includes data by county urbanization level for metropolitan and nonmetro counties.
Author(s): Nana Wilson, Mbabazi Kariisa, Puja Seth, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(11), 290-297
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Delayed Identification of Infants Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing — Minnesota, 2012–2016
Examines delays in diagnosis of hearing loss among Minnesota infants identified as deaf or hard of hearing. Includes data by location of patient residence and by birth hospital location for metropolitan and nonmetro areas.
Author(s): Abby C. Meyer, Melinda Marsolek, Nicole Brown, Kirsten Coverstone
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(11), 303-306
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Highest U.S. Poverty Rates Are in the South, with over 20 Percent Poor in Its Rural Areas
Bar chart showing rural and urban poverty rates by region for the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West, based on data from the 2014-2018 American Community Survey.
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Vital Signs: Colorectal Cancer Screening Test Use — United States, 2018
Reports on colorectal cancer screening among adults 50-75 years of age. Includes data by location of patient residence for metro and nonmetro areas, with breakdowns by age group for 50-64 and 65-75 years of age.
Author(s): Djenaba A. Joseph, Jessica B. King, Nicole F. Dowling, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(10), 253-259
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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QuickStats: Percentage of Children and Adolescents Aged 4–17 Years with Serious Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties, by Sex and Urbanization Level — National Health Interview Survey, 2016–2018
Bar chart comparing metropolitan and nonmetro rates of serious emotional and behavioral difficulties among children and adolescents aged 4-17 overall, for boys, and for girls.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(10), 276
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Association of Neighborhood Measures of Social Determinants of Health With Breast, Cervical, and Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates in the US Midwest
Results of a study examining how area-level social determinants of health and rurality were associated with cancer screening practices in 75 Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Health System practices in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin in 2016-2017. Features statistics on factors associated with 3 types of cancer screenings, with breakdowns by urban, rural, and highly rural areas.
Author(s): Shaheen S. Kurani, Rozalina G. McCoy, Michelle A. Lampman, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 3(3)
Date: 03/2020
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Visualizing Immunization Registry Data to Identify Places With Low Rates of HPV Vaccination Initiation in a Rural State
Results of a 2016 study of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among Iowa adolescents aged 13-15. Includes a county-level map showing urban and rural areas and their vaccination rates.
Author(s): Natoshia M. Askelson, Seungwon Kim, Youn Soo Jung, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 03/2020
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