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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Social determinants of health

Partnering with Faith-Based Organizations to Improve Health and Equity
Provides a discussion among faith-based leaders in Wisconsin and Minnesota regarding their work collaborating with public health partners to promote social, economic, and racial justice. Includes strategies specific to rural areas and churches that assist in bridging cultural divides and creating impactful health policy for all citizens.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Presenter Biographies, Resource Guide
Date: 10/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
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North Carolina State Health Improvement Plan 2023
Describes North Carolina's 2023 plan for population health improvement. Provides data on selected health indicators, makes comparisons to 2030 targets, and identifies trends over time for selected demographics. Identifies factors contributing to health disparities and negative health outcomes, and sets priorities. Includes consideration of rural and underserved populations throughout.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
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Rural Health: Addressing Barriers to Care
An infographic that presents data on rural versus urban health disparities and barriers to healthcare in rural America. Includes interactive data on percentage of rural residents by state, rural life expectancy and chronic health conditions, hospital closures and lack of access to healthcare, rural workforce shortages, and more. Provides strategies to improve rural access to healthcare.
Author(s): Carrie Cochran-McClain
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: National Institute for Health Care Management, National Rural Health Association
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Health Panel Comment Letter – Encouraging Rural Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care Models
Offers comments in response to the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) Request for Information regarding rural participation in population-based total cost of care models. Covers considerations for determining the most relevant definition of rural, barriers that impact rural providers' participation in alternative payment models (APMs), service delivery models and resources that are effective in encouraging value-based care (VBC) transformation in rural areas, and more.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Household Food Security in the United States in 2022
Reports on household food security, food expenditures, and use of federal food and nutrition assistance programs in 2022. Includes food insecurity statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Discusses the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on nutrition programs usage.
Additional links: Recorded Webinar, Report Summary, Statistical Supplement
Author(s): Matthew P. Rabbitt, Laura J. Hales, Michael P. Burke, Alisha Coleman-Jensen
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Rural-Urban Disparities in Health Outcomes, Clinical Care, Health Behaviors, and Social Determinants of Health and an Action-Oriented, Dynamic Tool for Visualizing Them
Examines county-level disparities in rural and urban health outcomes and presents a health equity dashboard depicting the disparities. Utilizes 2015 and 2019 County Health Rankings datasets to analyze measures such as health outcomes, clinical care, health behaviors, physical environment, and social and economic factors according to urban, suburban, and rural location.
Author(s): William B. Weeks, Ji E. Chang, José A. Pagán, et al.
Citation: PLOS Global Public Health, 3(10)
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
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The State of Obesity 2023: Better Policies for a Healthier America
Presents the latest data available on adult and childhood obesity rates, with breakdowns by state and select demographic characteristics. Examines key current and emerging policies, provides funding opportunities, and outlines recommended policy actions. Includes a special feature that examines obesity trends over the past 20 years.
Author(s): Molly Warren, Madison West, Stacy Beck
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Health Panel Comment Letter - 2024 Physician Fee Schedule and Medicare Part B Proposed Rule
Comments offered in response to a July 13, 2023, Federal Register proposed rule revising the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Includes discussions on telehealth services, services addressing health-related social needs, advancing access to behavioral health services, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and the Medicare Shared Savings Program.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Rural Health Value Summit: Driving Value Through Community-Based Partnerships
Provides an overview of a June 2023 summit regarding the intersection of rural providers and communities, value-based care and payment models, and social determinants of health (SDOH). Describes the efforts of Arkansas, Michigan, Oregon, and South Carolina communities that had representatives at the summit. Discusses opportunities for policymakers, payers, and health system leaders to build and support infrastructure to address social determinants of health in rural communities and offers possible next steps.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Assessing Access to Digital Services in Health Care–Underserved Communities in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study
Grouped 3108 counties in the contiguous U.S. based on their access to broadband, access to healthcare, and social vulnerability. Discusses trends in rural counties and regions of the country within these groups and makes recommendations to decrease the digital divide.
Author(s): Diego F. Cuadros, Claudia M. Moreno, F. DeWolfe Miller, Ryosuke Omori, Neil J. MacKinnon
Citation: Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health, 1(3), 217-225
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
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