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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Social determinants of health

The 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress
Presents a point-in-time estimate of the number of people experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness in January 2023. Explores national estimates on homeless individuals, families, unaccompanied youth, veterans, and chronically homeless individuals. Provides data on homelessness trends over time, demographics of homeless individuals, sheltered individuals, and differences by geography.
Author(s): Tanya de Sousa, Alyssa Andrichik, Ed Prestera,et al.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
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The Impact of Health Disparities on the Subjective Well-Being in Rural Communities
Examines the effects of health, socioeconomic, and spatial indicators on well-being and happiness in rural areas/countryside and rural towns. Utilizes North Central Region (NCR)-Stat: Baseline Survey 2022 data to analyze well-being according to physical and mental health status, insurance status, income, work status, education level, and marital status.
Author(s): Zuzana Bednarik
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
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Water and Wastewater in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region: Twentieth Report of the Good Neighbor Environmental Board to the President and Congress of the United States
Report discussing drinking water and wastewater needs along the U.S.-Mexico border. Offers recommendations regarding coordination of services for underserved and tribal communities, infrastructure funding, and long-term planning. Discusses issues specific to rural areas, colonias, and tribal communities such as climates risks, health disparities, and more. Lists federal funding sources.
Author(s): P. Ganster, I. Coronado, J. McNeece, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Good Neighbor Environmental Board, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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Policy, Systems, and Environmental Strategies Generated by Stakeholders to Support Food Security in Rural Communities
Examines policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) strategies in rural communities of Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, and Texas that address food insecurity. Provides recommendations based on interview data such as improving ease of program enrollment, providing more awareness of services, and making program use more hassle-free.
Additional links: Arizona Brief, Full Report, Georgia Brief, Kentucky Brief, Michigan Brief, Texas Brief
Author(s): Carmen Byker Shanks, Shelly Palmer, Emily Shaw, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Investigation of Predictors of Severity Of Diabetes Complications among Hospitalized Patients with Diabetes in Florida, 2016–2019
Examines risk factors for severe diabetes complications in adult hospitalizations in Florida by considering individual socioeconomic as well as area-level predictors. Utilizes 2016-2019 hospital discharge data to analyze predictors of complications and formulate a Neighborhood Deprivation Index for rural and urban ZIP code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) in Florida.
Author(s): Jennifer Lord, Keshia Reid, Chris Duclos, Alan Mai, Agricola Odoi
Citation: BMC Public Health, 23, 2424
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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Hospitals' Electronic Access to Information Needed to Treat COVID-19
Explores acute care hospitals' ability to access electronic access to information necessary to treat COVID-19 patients in 2021. Examines differences in information availability by hospital characteristics, including rurality and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status, and engagement in interoperable exchange.
Author(s): Chelsea Richwine, Jordan Everson, Vaishali Patel
Citation: JAMIA Open, 6(4)
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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Housing America's Older Adults 2023
Provides an overview of demographics and housing needs of older adults in the U.S. Discusses affordable and accessible housing that allows for the appropriate level of care. Includes rural versus urban data comparisons of the aging population and housing issues specific to rural areas.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
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Lessons in Rural Leadership
Provides guidance on cultivating leadership among a rural behavioral health workforce. Highlights some challenges for building mental health workforce leadership curriculum and discusses local barriers faced by a rural behavioral health workforce, such as insurance coverage, transportation, and housing, among others.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center
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Farmworker Health Network: 2023 Key Resources for Agricultural Worker Health
Highlights several resources on agricultural worker health, including a toolkit to encourage ag worker participation on health center boards and model programs to address specific health conditions. Provides a summary for each resource and links to more information on each sponsoring program's website.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Farmworker Justice Fund, Inc., Health Outreach Partners, MHP Salud, Migrant Clinicians Network, National Association of Community Health Centers, National Center for Farmworker Health
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Community Care Hubs: A Promising Model for Health and Social Care Coordination
Examines the coordination of health and social needs by focusing on the community care hub model. Provides information on the types of organizations functioning as hubs as well as how the hubs operate, serve, and network within their communities. Includes case studies of hubs working within rural and underserved areas.
Author(s): Joshua Breslau, Petra W. Rasmussen, Nabeel Qureshi, Evan D. Peet
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Administration for Community Living, HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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