North Carolina Resources

Rural and Nonrural Racial Variation in Mentally Unhealthy Days: Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in North Carolina, 2015–2019
Compares rates at which rural and nonrural Black and White North Carolinians experience days with stress, depression, and problems with emotions, utilizing 2015-2019 North Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. Discusses social factors which may influence racial mental health disparities in rural areas.
Author(s): Caroline R. Efird, Derrick D. Matthews, Kathryn E. Muessig, et al.
Citation: SSM - Mental Health, 3, 100199
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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Cumulative Environmental Quality Is Associated with Breast Cancer Incidence Differentially by Summary Stage and Urbanicity
Identifies associations between environmental factors and breast cancer stages in North Carolina using the Environmental Quality Index (EQI). EQI factors include air, water, land, sociodemographic, and built environments. Includes analysis of urbanicity, race, screenings, and tobacco use.
Author(s): Larisa M. Gearhart-Serna, Brittany A. Mills, Hillary Hsu, et al.
Citation: Scientific Reports, 13, 20301
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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Rural Health and Well-Being
A two-part recorded webinar that first discusses social well-being in rural areas and suggested policy and programmatic interventions to improve well-being. Also provides information on the community-based participatory research Health Equity for Rural Mothers and Families Project (HER), which advocates for health equity for pregnant women and new mothers in rural North Carolina.
Additional links: Part 1 Slides, Part 2 Slides
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Sarah E. (Betsy) Bledsoe
Date: 11/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
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FY 2023: HRSA's Rural Health Grants – North Carolina Fact Sheet
HRSA Federal Office of Rural Health Policy investments in North Carolina in Fiscal Year 2023. Lists grant and cooperative agreement recipients, award amounts, award recipient locations, and congressional district.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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A Place to Thrive: Creating Opportunities to Age Well in North Carolina
Reports on North Carolina's aging population, and provides recommendations and strategies for improved health and livability for an aging population. Key topics include social and economic factors affecting older adults, the culture of aging, services and programs that support aging in place, and workforce supporting older adults' needs. Mentions rural population throughout as a disproportionately affected group.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Institute of Medicine
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North Carolina State Health Improvement Plan 2023
Describes North Carolina's 2023 plan for population health improvement. Provides data on selected health indicators, makes comparisons to 2030 targets, and identifies trends over time for selected demographics. Identifies factors contributing to health disparities and negative health outcomes, and sets priorities. Includes consideration of rural and underserved populations throughout.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
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Assessing the Impact of Medicaid Telehealth Policy Change on Equitable Access to Telehealth Services in North Carolina
Describes the evolution of North Carolina's Medicaid telehealth coverage and reimbursement policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses the impact of these policies on access to care. Compares data on telehealth claims by volume and as a percentage of total claims by race and rural-urban residence between March 2020 and December 2022.
Author(s): Shannon Dowler, Sam Thompson, Michelle Savuto, Jacqueline Marks-Smith, Jared Augenstein
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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"This Is Not My Grandmother's Summer": Rural Populations Are Uniquely Vulnerable to the Health Impacts of Extreme Heat
Discusses the challenges rural areas face in helping address the impact of heat on health. Includes strategies used in rural North Carolina, Indiana, and Washington State to help inform and protect rural residents, including those exposed to heat through work outdoors.
Author(s): Brendan Stermer
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Addressing Social Needs through Medicaid: Lessons from Planning and Early Implementation of North Carolina's Healthy Opportunities Pilots
Results of a study to generate findings and recommendations from the planning, capacity-building, and early implementation of the Healthy Opportunities Pilots program. Focuses on the health-related social needs of North Carolina Medicaid enrollees living in three primarily rural regions of the state.
Author(s): Katie M. Huber, William K. Bleser, Rebecca G. Whiteaker, et al.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, Milbank Memorial Fund
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Acceptability and Readiness to Promote Human Papillomavirus Vaccination at Ages 9–10 Years: A Feasibility Study among North Carolina Clinics
Examines the recommendation of vaccinating against the human papillomavirus (HPV) in children 9-10 years old. Analyzes feedback from providers in 2 rural North Carolina primary clinics about their perceptions regarding this recommendation.
Author(s): Nadja A. Vielot, Robyn M. Lane, Kaitlyn Loefstedt, et al.
Citation: Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 9,153
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
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