Washington Resources

Offering Palliative Care in Rural Communities
Video introducing palliative care and how it is provided in a rural community. Discusses challenges to providing high quality palliative care with rural areas and the healthcare setting that can offer palliative care.
Date: 02/2019
Sponsoring organization: Washington State Office of Rural Health
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There's No Place Like Home: Rural Home Health and Hospice Care in Washington State, a Discussion of Challenges and Solutions
Provides an overview of home health and hospice services in rural Washington state. Identifies rural areas and offers information on aging rural populations within the state. Discusses challenges and potential solutions to meeting the needs of rural aging populations in Washington.
Author(s): Patricia Justis
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: Washington State Office of Rural Health
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Mandatory Reporting of Fatal and Nonfatal Opioid Overdoses in a Rural Public Health Department
Describes a mandatory reporting initiative in rural Clallam County, Washington of fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses. Offers data on reported cases from 2016-2017 including age, sex, participation in syringe exchanges, overdose characteristics, and public health services provided per case.
Author(s): Christopher J. Frank, Siri E. Kushner, David A. Doran, Jeanette Stehr-Green
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 108(12), 1646-1648
Date: 12/2018
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Pacific County, Wash.: Connection to Services Through Jail Screening and Referral
Describes efforts of a rural Washington State community to address the number of people with mental illnesses in their jail, as part of the national "Stepping Up" initiative. Examines the process of screening and providing connections to community-based providers.
Author(s): Nastassia Walsh
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
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Medicaid Real-Time Eligibility Determinations and Automated Renewals: Lessons for Medi-Cal from Colorado and Washington
Explores strategies used in Colorado and Washington to increase administrative efficiencies and reduce barriers for consumers renewing enrollment in or applying for state Medicaid programs. Includes special considerations for rural populations enrolling in Medicaid. Designed to inform the thinking of California policymakers and stakeholders as they implement changes to the state's Medicaid program.
Author(s): Jane Wishner, Ian Hill, Jeremy Marks, Sarah Thornburgh
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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A Model for Internal Medicine Physicians in a Small Rural Hospital
Describes a provider staffing model for rural hospitals that uses internal medicine physicians to provide inpatient care and to consult on outpatient care in Washington state. Describes the hospital setting, staffing needs, and lessons learned.
Author(s): Paul Bunge
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 18(3), 4419
Date: 08/2018
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Behavioral Health Integration and Workforce Development
Examines the need for states to assess behavioral health integration (BHI) workforce needs, identify legal and policy barriers to practice, and effectively train and retain BHI practitioners, especially in underserved areas. Includes case studies of programs in Washington, Nebraska, and Michigan, and lists of resources.
Author(s): Rachel Block
Date: 05/2018
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Together We Stride: A Quasi-Experimental Trial Testing the Effectiveness of a Multi-Level Obesity Intervention for Hispanic Children in Rural Communities
Explores the effectiveness of Together We STRIDE (Strategizing Together Relevant Interventions for Diet and Exercise), a multi-level community-based intervention to promote healthy eating habits, physical activity, and weight loss among Hispanic children living in rural Lower Yakima Valley communities in Washington.
Author(s): Linda K. Ko, Eileen Rillamas-Sun, Sonia Bishop, et al.
Citation: Contemporary Clinical Trials, 67, 81-86
Date: 04/2018
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Washington Program Trains Dental Super-Generalists to Serve Rural Communities
Features the University of Washington School of Dentistry's Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program. Describes how the program is structured to create a "super-generalist" able to meet oral health needs in rural and underserved areas. Discusses the program's success placing graduates in rural locations.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Assessing the Impact of Washington State's Oral Health Workforce on Patient Access to Care
Examines the oral health workforce and access to oral care in Washington state. Includes information on workforce demographics, rural and urban distribution of oral health providers, and difficulty recruiting dental hygienists and assistants in rural areas. Provides recommendations, policy changes, and potential solutions offered by oral health workforce interviewees.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Malaika R. Schwartz, Lisa Hager, Susan M. Skillman
Date: 11/2017
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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