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Rural Health
Resources by Type: Document

Geographic Variation in Trauma Deaths in Rural Illinois: A Hypothesis about Trauma Deserts
Analyzes the relationship between trauma deserts and trauma mortality in Illinois counties. Includes metro versus nonmetro comparisons of mortality rates due to various health conditions, as well as driving distances to the nearest emergency medical services (EMS) by county.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Urinary Biomonitoring of Glyphosate Exposure Among Male Farmers and Nonfarmers in the Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect in Agriculture (BEEA) Study
Presents a study on glyphosate exposure among farmers and farmworkers and compares exposure rates to non-farmers. Discusses the efficacy of personal protective equipment (PPE) and compares different PPE combinations.
Author(s): Vicky C. Chang, Maria Ospina, Shuai Xie, et al.
Citation: Environment International, 187, 108644
Date: 04/2024
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How Americans View Infrastructure in Their Community
Examines survey data on residents' perspectives on their own neighborhood infrastructure for 15 community types as defined by the American Communities Project. Discusses infrastructure condition, funding, amount of use, access to infrastructure, and environmental hazards due to infrastructure.
Author(s): Ari Pinkus
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Communities Project
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United States Department of Health & Human Services: Plan for Promoting Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Automated and Algorithmic Systems by State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Governments in Public Benefit Administration
Offers guidance from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) for the use of artificial intelligence in public benefits and services funded by HHS. Discusses areas of opportunity and concerns for underserved communities, including rural residents, throughout.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Moving Toward Equity: An Evaluation Toolkit
Discusses how equity is connected to health outcomes for Ohio citizens and ways public health partners can evaluate progress when implementing initiatives to improve equity for disadvantaged populations, including those in rural and Appalachian areas. Focuses on assessment and planning, equitable evaluation plans, quality improvement, and collecting data.
Author(s): Carrie Almasi, Édith Nkenganyi, Tonni Oberly, Jacob Santiago
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
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Reconsidering and Measuring Patient Access in Medicaid
Discusses ways to measure patient access and coverage of those enrolled in Medicaid, focusing on their insurance plan quality, reimbursement rates, and clinician networks. Considers policy impacts on rural areas.
Author(s): Benjamin D. Sommers, Renuka Tipirneni
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 5(4), e241399
Date: 04/2024
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Rural Communities of Color Are Overrepresented among Community Disaster Resilience Zones
Analysis of the rurality of community disaster resilience zones (CDRZs), a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designation that offers priority federal support for preparation for and response to disasters. Includes data breakdown by remoteness and distribution of people of color. Discusses rates of philanthropic giving.
Author(s): Anne N. Junod, Violet Sulka/Hewes, Amy Rogin
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Vitamin D Levels and SARS-CoV-2 Infection among Medically Underserved Populations in the Minority and Rural Coronavirus Insights Study
Analyzes associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection and vitamin D status among 3187 Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) patients, with comparisons by race and other demographic factors. Discusses COVID-19 disparities among underserved populations. Includes data on SARS-CoV-2 infection and vitamin D deficiency among rural people.
Author(s): Makella S. Coudray, Shantoy Hansel, Salvatore Alesci, et al.
Citation: Viruses, 16(4), 639
Date: 04/2024
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April 2024 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2024 meeting. Covers telehealth in Medicare, alternative approaches to lowering Medicare payments for select conditions in inpatient rehabilitation facilities, approaches for updating the Medicare physician fee schedule, initial findings from an analysis of Medicare Part B payment rates and 340B ceiling prices, and more. Includes discussion of telehealth in rural areas and data on telehealth use in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) between 2020 and 2022.
Additional links: Telehealth in Medicare: Status Report - Presentation Slides
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Using the Updated Financial Distress Index to Describe Relative Risk of Hospital Financial Distress
Describes the relative risk of rural hospitals and selected urban hospitals experiencing financial distress in 2023. Provides an overview of an updated Financial Distress Index (FDI), which incorporates variables reflecting changes to operational environments since the publication of the 2017 FDI to predict and analyze financial distress and risk of rural hospital closure. Presents data on the characteristics of hospitals by relative risk of financial distress in 2023 and the number of hospitals in each state across in category of relative risk of financial distress.
Author(s): Tyler Malone, George Pink, Kristie Thompson, Mark Holmes
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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