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

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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Oregon by the Numbers - Key Measures for Oregon and Its Counties
Breaks down demographic and socioeconomic data in Oregon by county. Highlights data on various measures for each county such as food insecurity, unemployment rate, adult smoking, broadband access, and percent rural versus urban, among others.
Additional links: En Español
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Ford Family Foundation, Oregon State University Rural Studies Program
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Empowering Rural Nurses Telementoring Professional Growth & Support
Webinar recording discussing telementoring models, the National Rural Telementoring Training Center, rural healthcare workforce challenges, telementoring examples, and evaluation. Transcript available in the video description.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: University of Texas at Arlington Center for Rural Health and Nursing
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Understanding Climate Disaster Resilience with BEAD
Webinar demonstrating the Broadband Climate Risk Mitigation Tool, a tool highlighting the risk to broadband infrastructure from natural disasters at the census tract level. Also provides information on climate related vulnerabilities to broadband infrastructure and using the tool to apply for Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding. Transcript available by selecting three dots under video and choosing "Show transcript."
Date: 08/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation
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Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program: Feedback Should Be Provided to Applicants Receiving Equitable Distribution Grants
Provides an overview of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) and the grants awarded under the program through July 25, 2023. Summarizes findings from a review of program documents and interviews and surveys with program officials and eligible entities regarding whether applicants who received equitable distribution grants received constructive feedback to improve applications in subsequent rounds of funding.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Broadband and Student Performance Gaps After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Analyzes the impact of broadband access during the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent student experience in rural Michigan. Provides data and information related digital device and broadband access, learning from home, student achievement and wellbeing, and future directions for broadband equity.
Author(s): Keith N. Hampton, Gabriel E. Hales, Johannes M. Bauer, et al.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Michigan State University, Quello Center
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Dual Barriers: Examining Digital Access and Travel Burdens to Hospital Maternity Care Access in the United States, 2020
Analyzes the relationship between drive time to hospital maternity units and access to digital/telehealth care in mitigating travel burden. Utilizes 2020 American Hospital Association Annual Survey data with information broken down by rural versus urban location, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and broadband and digital device access.
Author(s): Peiyin Hung, Marion Granger, Nansi Boghossian, et al.
Citation: The Milbank Quarterly, 101(4), 1327-1347
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
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Ensuring Age-Friendly Public Health in Rural Communities: Challenges, Opportunities, and Model Programs
Discusses the components of age-friendly environments and how to support public health efforts that improve the lives of aging residents in rural areas. Provides data related to rural technology access, rural versus urban poverty rates and healthcare provider workforce, and county-level U.S. maps of percentage of population aged 65 or older and rural versus urban majority communities. Includes innovations and recommendations for age-friendly public health systems.
Author(s): M. Aaron Guest, Megan Wolfe, Karon Phillips, Jane Hook
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Report: Understanding Disaster Resiliency Factors for Broadband Deployments
Highlights broadband infrastructure vulnerabilities at the census block level related to natural disasters. Discusses unserved and underserved areas as well as 2 rural focused case studies. Makes recommendations to policymakers for a more resilient broadband infrastructure. Includes the Broadband Climate Risk Mitigation Tool for county and census block data.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation
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Digital Navigation Toolkit
Provides links to resources to support digital health navigators, individuals who aid community members with connectivity, devices, and digital skills and facilitate access to healthcare.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers
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