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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document

COVID-19 Vaccines: Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech Use Varied By Urban, Rural Counties
Examines rural versus urban usage of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines by county. Provides data on first and second dose of vaccines, with data broken down by large central metro, large fringe metro, medium metro, small metro, micropolitan, or noncore location. Includes county-level maps showing Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech spatial usage and discusses geographic implications that impacted access to each vaccine.
Author(s): Katherine Wen, Daniel A. Harris, Preeti Chachlani, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs, 43(5)
Date: 05/2024
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Proximity to Hospital-Based Obstetric Care in a Maternity Desert in the Deep South
Examines access to hospital facilities with maternity services in a rural Alabama county by measuring driving distance from maternal residence to birth hospital. Discusses the impact of maternity care deserts on rural residents.
Author(s): Jenna James, Steven R. Schultze, Alyssa Lee, Allen Perkins, Casey L. Daniel
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 114(S4), S289-S336
Date: 05/2024
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Housing for Rural Residents Recovering from Substance Use Disorders
Presents a study featuring a number of programs providing housing for substance use disorder (SUD) recovery in rural communities. Discusses 3 different case studies on programs in MN, OR, and WV. Highlights the community need, organizational structure, and key features of each program.
Author(s): Katie Rydberg, Ingrid Jacobson, Mariana Tuttle, et al.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Collaboration, Not Competition: Thrive Allen County's Capacity Building Initiatives
Features the work of a Kansas nonprofit, Thrive Allen County, that brings grant funding to the county for its own projects and also helps build the area's capacity through grant writing, technical assistance, and other services.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Differences in Measurement of Operating Margin: An Update
Describes how differences in measurement of operating margin for hospitals can affect the reported values. Compares the operating margins of urban and rural prospective payment system hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) across three definitions of operating margin using Medicare Cost Report data from April 2021 through March 2022. Describes situations in which each operating margin would be the most appropriate to calculate. Updates a 2008 study from the Flex Monitoring Team.
Author(s): Jessie Ma, Susie Gurzenda, Kristin Reiter, George Pink
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Promoting Rural Financial Well-Being and Inclusion: Aligning Strategies with Community Needs
Provides measures for financial well-being and defines assets across rural county types, such as high-employment agricultural areas, centers of wealth and health, recreational and cultural areas, and more, and includes economic indicators like income and home ownership rate for each county type. Discusses challenges to financial well-being, strategies to improve economies, and policy considerations.
Author(s): Yipeng Su, Anna Morgan
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Social Determinants of Health and Delivery of Rehabilitation to Older Adults During ICU Hospitalization
Analyzes likelihood of receiving physical therapy or occupational therapy during ICU hospitalization among older adults. Utilizes 2011-2018 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) data of 1,618 hospitalizations. Highlights social determinants of health associated with disparities in rehabilitation service delivery, including rural status, dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid, and limited English proficiency.
Author(s): Snigdha Jain, Terrence E. Murphy, Jason R. Falvey, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(5), e2410713
Date: 05/2024
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Map the Meal Gap 2024: A Report on County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2022
Provides information on food insecurity in the United States, focusing on how race and ethnicity impact access to food. Includes county-level U.S. maps that show food insecurity for children and the overall U.S. population. Includes regional data on counties with high food insecurity as well as by rural versus urban status.
Additional links: Technical Appendix
Author(s): M. Hake, A. Dewey, E. Engelhard, S. Dawes
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Feeding America
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Same People, Different Results: Categorizing Cancer Registry Cases Across the Rural-Urban Continuum
Evaluates patient categorization results produced by applying 9 U.S. rural-urban indexes to 1,569 Wisconsin Pancreatic Cancer Registry patients. Discusses indexes' consistency of results, geographic scale, and other concerns related to their application to cancer research.
Author(s): Andrea M. Schiefelbein, John K. Krebsbach, Amy K. Taylor, et al.
Citation: Wisconsin Medical Journal, 123(2), 78-87
Date: 05/2024
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Using a Customer Discovery Process to Enhance the Potential Dissemination and Scalability of a Family Healthy Weight Program for Rural Communities and Small Towns
Reports on factors influencing rural adoption of the Building Healthy Families Online Training Resources and Program Package, a family-based healthy weight program. Utilizes data from interviews with 47 individuals representing potential users, payers, and adoption influencers, including health departments, clinical healthcare providers, and community organizations. Includes discussion of organizational priorities, implementation challenges in clinical and community settings, and more.
Author(s): Gwenndolyn C. Porter, Jennie L. Hill, Kate A. Heelan, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 21, 57
Date: 05/2024
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