Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document

NADO Resilience Workshop Planning Guide
Discusses planning, coordination, and implementation of natural disaster and economic resilience workshops by Regional Development Organizations (RDOs) and Economic Development Districts (EDDs). Includes a case study on infrastructure development and climate resilience in predominantly rural areas of North Carolina.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Development Organizations
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Rural Health Research Recap: Quality Star Ratings: Hospitals, Skilled Nursing Facilities, and Home Health Agencies
Examines the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating system among hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies in 2021 and 2022. Features statistics including number of rural hospitals without a star rating with breakdowns by census region, and percentage of hospitals without star rating, with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Per Ostmo
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Experiences with and Outcomes of Oral Health Care - Perspectives from Nationally Representative Data
Report discusses the outcomes and experiences with oral healthcare from patients across the United States surveyed in January - February 2023. Details patients experience with access to care, attitudes about co-location of oral healthcare and other types of care, value-based care, telehealth usage, and discrimination in healthcare, among other topics. Breaks down demographic data of survey participants by age, sex, and urbanicity, among other measures.
Author(s): Lisa J. Heaton, Morgan Santoro, Paige Martin, Eric P. Tranby
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
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Utilizing Public Transportation to End Food Insecurity in Rural and Small Urban Areas by Providing Better Access: A Case Study of Rural Counties in North Dakota
Analyzes the impact of public transportation in addressing food insecurity in rural and urban areas of North Dakota. Provides county and ZIP code level sociodemographic data on population changes, food insecurity, poverty, and more. Includes discussion about causes of food insecurity in rural areas.
Author(s): Dilip Mistry, Jill Hough
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
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Swimming Upstream on the Path to Thriving
Explores challenges and opportunities for equitable economic development in rural, disadvantaged communities. Discusses the impact of persistent poverty, local entrepreneurship supports, community development strategies and policies, and investment models. Highlights the relationship between community health and prosperity, including discussion of the value of local hospitals and medical centers.
Author(s): May Erouart, Amanda Weinstein
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation
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Pre-COVID-19 Hospital Quality and Hospital Response to COVID-19: Examining Associations Between Risk-adjusted Mortality for Patients Hospitalised with COVID-19 and Pre-COVID-19 Hospital Quality
Examines whether pre-pandemic hospital quality was associated with in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates among Medicare patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from April 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021. Explores the relationship between COVID-19 outcomes and hospital COVID-19 burden. Compares pre-pandemic hospital quality and COVID-19 outcomes by hospital characteristics, including urban/rural location and Critical Access Hospital status.
Author(s): Doris Peter, Shu-Xia Li, Yongfei Wang, et al.
Citation: BMJ Open, 14(3), e077394
Date: 03/2024
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Successful Non-Congregate Meal Service Models for Rural Areas: Implementation Guide
Provides models and examples of non-congregate meal service implementation in rural areas. Includes background on policy decisions and legislative definitions.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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A Lack of Behavioral Health Providers in Medicare and Medicaid Impedes Enrollees' Access to Care
Examines the availability of behavioral health providers who actively serve Medicare or Medicaid enrollees in 20 counties, 10 urban and 10 rural, across 10 states in 2021. Explores the extent to which traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid enrollees received behavioral health services and whether they used telehealth or in-person services. Offers recommendations to encourage more behavioral health providers to serve these enrollees and expand coverage to additional behavioral health provider types. Includes rural and urban comparisons throughout.
Additional links: Report Highlights
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Sherman Lecture: Are We Aiming at the Correct Targets to Reduce Disparities in Stroke Mortality? Celebration, Reflection, and Redirection
Discusses disparities in stroke deaths and opportunities for cardiovascular health improvement. Provides data on racial and ethnic, regional, and rural stroke disparities, and identifies approaches to stroke risk reduction in Black and rural populations.
Author(s): George Howard
Citation: Journal of the American Heart Association, 13(7), e031309
Date: 03/2024
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Grow Your Own Toolkit: A Guide to Implementing Workforce Strategies in Washington State's Rural Health Systems
A toolkit for creating grow your own workforce programs for addressing rural healthcare workforce shortages in Washington. Discusses strategies, collaboration opportunities, and implementation tips. Includes case studies from around Washington.
Author(s): Talia Horacek, Sarah Gambrill
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Washington State Department of Health
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