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Washington Resources

Assessing Differences in the Availability of Opioid Addiction Therapy Options: Rural Versus Urban and American Indian Reservation Versus Non-Reservation
Examines differences in the number of opioid agonist therapy (OAT) facilities and physicians with Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA) waivers in the state of Washington. Includes rural versus urban and tribal land versus non-tribal land comparisons.
Author(s): Katherine A. Hirchak, Sean M. Murphy
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 33(1), 102-109
Date: 01/2017
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New Partner Recruitment to Rural Versus Urban Ob-Gyn Practices: A Survey of Practicing Ob-Gyns
Discusses the results of a survey of obstetrics and gynecology practices in rural and urban areas located in 5 Northwestern states to examine their recruitment efforts. Information and data about their background, practice setting, partner recruitment, and retention was collected and analyzed, with comparisons noted between rural, suburban, and urban providers.
Author(s): Michael F. Fialkow, Carrie M. Snead, Jay Schulkin
Citation: Health Services Research and Managerial Epidemiology, 2017(4)
Date: 2017
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Evaluation of Policy Options for Increasing the Availability of Primary Care Services in Rural Washington State
Analyzes policy options that the Washington state legislature has considered to address a perceived shortage of primary care physicians in rural Washington. Provides background on the rural primary care workforce within the state and projects the impacts each policy option would have through 2025. Policy options considered include: opening a new medical school at Washington State University (WSU), increasing the number of residency positions in the state, increasing loan repayment incentives to encourage rural practice, increasing Medicaid payment rates for rural physicians, and encouraging the use of alternative primary care models.
Additional links: Summary and Key Findings
Author(s): Mark W. Friedberg, Grant R. Martsolf, Chapin White, et al.
Date: 11/2016
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Working in Rural Health
A video describing the benefits of working as a healthcare provider in a rural location, including testimonials from providers working in rural Washington. Length: 4:25
Date: 07/2016
Sponsoring organization: Washington State Department of Health
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Washington State Suicide Prevention Plan
Outlines a statewide suicide prevention plan for rural and urban individuals, families, and communities in Washington based on the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Describes strategies to prevent suicide and make treatment and support services more accessible. Includes statistics on suicide rates by age and rural or urban location.
Date: 01/2016
Sponsoring organization: Washington State Department of Health
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Columbia Gorge Region, Oregon and Washington: 2016 RWJF Culture of Health Prize Winner
Describes how the communities within the Columbia Gorge region took a collaborative approach by developing a 15-member community advisory committee that included Medicaid recipients and Latino residents. Top concerns addressed by this committee were food, housing, jobs and transportation, along with improved access to dental and mental health, and better coordination among social services and healthcare providers. Projects included expanding the use and training of community health workers (CHWs) to assist Latino residents when navigating programs outside of healthcare and the development of a fruit and vegetable prescription program to support increased intake of healthy foods. A collective impact specialist was hired to help solve community problems through collaborative efforts, and to find grants and other sources of funding to support their projects. Columbia Gorge Region is a recipient of the 2016 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize.
Date: 2016
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Barriers to Primary Care Physicians Prescribing Buprenorphine
Reports on a study of physicians in the State of Washington who participated in a Rural Opioid Addiction Management Project on the use of buprenorphine-naloxone in the treatment of opioid use disorders. Study determined the percentage of physicians who prescribed this treatment, the characteristics associated with the prescribing physicians, the number of patients treated, and the barriers found when integrating this treatment into their outreach practice.
Author(s): Eliza Hutchinson, Mary Catlin, C. Holly A. Andrilla, et al.
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 12(2), 128-133
Date: 03/2014
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Health Workforce Assessment: Tools for Policymakers and Planners
Provides information and statistics on the rural healthcare workforce, assessments, and other factors affecting the delivery of healthcare in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, Davis G. Patterson, Denise M. Lishner, Mark P. Doescher, C. Holly A. Andrilla
Date: 07/2013
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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What Is Rural in the WWAMI States? Why Definitions Matter
Discusses the multiple definitions of rural. Describes the impacts of using differing definitions in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, Davis G. Patterson, Denise M. Lishner, Mark P. Doescher, Meredith A. Fordyce
Date: 07/2013
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Building and Maintaining the Rural Health Workforce: Resources and Strategies
Provides examples of national and regional programs in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho. Focuses on programs that support the education, recruitment, and retention of the rural healthcare workforce.
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, Denise M. Lishner, Susan M. Skillman, Mark P. Doescher
Date: 07/2013
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Additional resources are available. See a full list of Washington Resources.