Washington Resources

"This Is Not My Grandmother's Summer": Mitigating the Health Impacts of Extreme Heat in Rural Communities
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.
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details

The Washington Rural Palliative Care Initiative Handbook
Handbook explores Washington State's rural palliative care initiative. Details the structure of the program, the cohorts around the state, and the activities implemented by the program.
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Washington State Department of Health, Washington State Office of Rural Health
view details

Factors Impacting Implementation of Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies in Rural Schools
Examines school policies and implementation related to nutrition and physical activity (PA) to understand the disproportionate rates of obesity in rural Latino children. Analyzes perceptions of policies and barriers from 20 interviews with stakeholders in Lower Yakima Valley of Eastern Washington State K-12 school districts. Discusses themes such as knowledge of school PA and nutrition policies as well as barriers and facilitators to policy implementation.
Author(s): Caryn Ausenhus, Joshua M. Gold, Cynthia K. Perry, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 23, 308
Date: 02/2023
view details

Filling Behavioral Health Gaps in Rural Communities: A Unique Partnership in Washington State
Discusses a collaboration between a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) in Washington and state hospitals to accept patient transfers by utilizing swing beds to care for patients with complex behavioral health and social needs, such as substance use disorder, mental health, homelessness, and more. Includes data on swing bed admissions and information on incorporating behavioral health services into primary care.
Author(s): Sarah Klein, Martha Hostetter
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: The Commonwealth Fund
view details

Facing Unique Challenges, Rural Communities Find Unique Solutions to Protect Against Wildfire Smoke Exposure
Discusses the impact of wildfire smoke on health and describes efforts in rural Idaho, Nevada, and Washington to address air quality concerns.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details

2022 Behavioral Health Workforce Assessment: A Report of the Behavioral Health Workforce Advisory Committee
Details the results of a study analyzing the occupations, roles, size, distribution, career pathways, demand, policy, and practice issues for the behavioral health workforce in the state of Washington. Includes recommendations to address workforce-related barriers and improve access to behavioral healthcare, and provides rural specific information.
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organizations: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies, Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board
view details

Partnership to Develop and Deliver Curriculum Supporting Student-Led Air Quality Research in Rural Washington State
Highlights a partnership between an urban and rural university and a tribal high school in Washington's Yakima Valley to conduct air-quality research. Discusses the design of the project, the roles and responsibilities of each party, and evaluates the success of the partnership.
Author(s): Orly Stampfer, Omar Torres Cassio, Jason A. Grajales, et al.
Citation: Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 16(3), 411-420
Date: 09/2022
view details

Disparities in Years of Potential Life Lost Among Racial and Ethnic Groups in Washington State
Explores rates of premature mortality among racial and ethnic minorities in Washington State. Compares rates of potential life lost for people of non-Hispanic Black, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and multiracial groups to the rates of the non-Hispanic White population. Highlights rurality as a factor as well.
Author(s): Solmaz Amiri, Sandte L. Stanley, Justin T. Denney, Dedra Buchwald
Citation: Archives of Public Health, 80, 211
Date: 09/2022
view details

Rapid Antigen Screening of Students and Staff for SARS-CoV-2 in Rural School Districts, Pierce County, WA, 2020
Provides an overview of a program in rural Washington school districts to screen students and staff for COVID-19 with weekly rapid antigen tests. Discusses efficacy, impact on school policy decisions, and overall sustainability of the program.
Author(s): Daniel R. Stutman, Julie K. Tergliafera, Morgan E. Black, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 112(8), 1134-1137
Date: 08/2022
view details

Washington State's Physician Workforce in 2021
Findings brief describing size, distribution, and education history of the physician workforce in Washington. Features statistics on various specialties with breakdowns by urban, overall rural, large rural, small rural, and isolated small rural areas.
Author(s): Arati Dahal, Susan M. Skillman
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organizations: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies, Washington Area Health Education Center Program
view details