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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Technology for health and human services

AARP Rural Livability Workshop Report
Report describing rural community characteristics with a focus on rural elders. Discusses rural demographics, community dynamics, public spaces, housing transportation, economy, healthy living, broadband access, and disaster readiness.
Author(s): Melissa Stanton, Patricia Oh
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AARP
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Mitigating COVID-19's Rural Impact on Families At-Risk for Violence and Child Maltreatment and Neglect
Discusses the potential impact of COVID-19 physical distancing measures on rural children experiencing maltreatment and those living in situations of intimate partner violence. Describes how rural communities and providers can help through community awareness efforts and changes to screening and other service delivery approaches.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Confronting Rural America's Health Care Crisis
Offers policy recommendations to stabilize the rural healthcare infrastructure and ensuring local access to care. Discusses strategies to provide financial relief to rural providers, preserve obstetric services, expand telehealth services, and address workforce shortages. Includes brief references to policy actions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional links: Rural Hospital Transformation Models, Summary, The Case for Expanding Telehealth Services, July 2020
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center Rural Health Task Force
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Navigating Nonessential Research Trials During COVID-19: The Push We Needed For Using Digital Technology To Increase Access For Rural Participants?
Describes barriers to rural people's participation in clinical trials. Explores reasons why use of technology might result in an increase in rural communities' participation, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author(s): Devon Noonan, Leigh Ann Simmons
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 185-187
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
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Rapid Deployment of Telehealth Services for Rural Hospitals Fighting COVID-19
Profiles how a Critical Access Hospital in Minnesota implemented a telehealth network in preparation for COVID-19. Offers lessons learned for other healthcare providers looking to implement virtual healthcare models.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Cybersecurity Toolkit for Rural Hospitals and Clinics
Describes 4 steps to help rural clinics and hospitals develop and maintain cybersecurity programs: awareness, assessment, implementation and remediation, and education. Includes a list of resources, checklists, and tools appropriate for all users.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Low Burden Strategies Are Needed to Reduce Smoking in Rural Healthcare Settings: A Lesson from Cancer Clinics
Details a study on the effectiveness of an electronic health record-based smoking cessation module in providing cessation services to rural cancer patients. Presents data by patient characteristics, services accessed, and rural versus urban location, among other measures.
Author(s): Alex T. Ramsey, Timothy B. Baker, Giang Pham, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(5), 1728
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
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2020 NACo Legislative Conference: Rural Grants 101: How County Officials Can Tap Into USDA Programs
Audio recording of National Association of Counties (NACo) panel discussion presented on March 2, 2020 in Washington, DC, describing ways in which counties can access USDA funding programs. Topics include rural electric cooperatives, rural telecommunications, and rural water and wastewater systems. Transcript available by clicking the dots above the Subscribe tab, then selecting Open Transcript.
Date: 03/2020
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
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Trends in Electronic Health Record Use Among Residential Care Communities: United States, 2012, 2014, and 2016
Examines electronic health record (EHR) use trends and health information exchange (HIE) capability among residential care communities. Includes data by metropolitan statistical area (MSA) status, comparing MSA and non-MSA areas.
Author(s): Christine Caffrey, Christopher Cairns, Vincent Rome
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Digital Prosperity: How Broadband Can Deliver Health and Equity to All Communities
Examines the role broadband plays in impacting health and equity in rural and urban areas, and identifies policy reforms to reduce these barriers. Outlines how government and marketplaces influence access to broadband, and offers case studies demonstrating effective methods to develop more equitable outcomes.
Author(s): Adie Tomer, Lara Fishbane, Angela Siefer, Bill Callahan
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Brookings Institution
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