Rural Health Information Hub Latest News

Cities with the Biggest Growth in Unemployment Due to COVID-19 – WalletHub Study

With over 22 million jobs wiped out so far during the COVID-19 pandemic, WalletHub today released its report on the Cities with the Biggest Growth in Unemployment Due to COVID-19, along with accompanying videos.

In order to identify where workers have been most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, WalletHub compared 180 cities based on how their unemployment rate has changed over time. We compared unemployment during the latest month for which we have data (March 2020) to March 2019 and January 2020 in order to see the difference from the beginning of the year and from last year. Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A.

Most Affected Cities

1. Seattle, WA 11. Reno, NV
2. Hialeah, FL 12. Dover, DE
3. North Las Vegas, NV 13. Orlando, FL
4. Miami, FL 14. Port St. Lucie, FL
5. Henderson, NV 15. Salt Lake City, UT
6. Las Vegas, NV 16. Long Beach, CA
7. Aurora, CO 17. Santa Clarita, CA
8. Denver, CO 18. Los Angeles, CA
9. Cleveland, OH 19. Chicago, IL
10. Colorado Springs, CO 20. Fort Lauderdale, FL

To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/cities-with-the-biggest-growth-in-unemployment-due-to-covid-19/73647/

Rural Hospitals Worry $10 Billion Infusion from CARES Act Just a ‘Band-Aid’

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As financial aid for hospitals begins to be deployed across the country, some of the rural administrators worry it’s only a temporary fix, not a long term solution.

Rural Counties Account for Increasing Share of New Covid-19 Cases

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The percentage of the nation’s new Covid-19 cases that originated in rural counties more than doubled in the last month.  The infection rate in rural counties remains significantly lower than the nation’s overall infection rate. But rural hotspots, plus a gradual increase across most nonmetropolitan counties, is making rural infections a greater share of the nation’s caseload.

Read more.

Patterns of Hospital Bypass and Inpatient Care‐Seeking by Rural Residents

Analyzes state inpatient data from 2014-2016 across 16 states to determine how inpatient hospital bypass behavior – rural residents utilizing a hospital other than their local hospital – is motivated by patient and hospital characteristics. Compares hospital characteristics, including Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), by rural bypass level and compares patient demographics by rural bypass status.

More information.

Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Toolkit for Emotional Coping for Healthcare Staff (TECHS): Putting it into Practice

Listen to a webinar introducing a toolkit for the benefit of frontline healthcare workers and psychosocial professionals helping to support healthcare workers who may be experiencing traumatic stress. Adapted from an intervention used for parents of children with cancer. Transcript available by clicking the three dots above the Subscribe button.  Sponsoring organization: Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress

Listen here.

Federally Qualified Health Centers & Rural Health Clinics Acting as Distant Site Providers in Medicare

Provides answers to common questions regarding guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services allowing FQHCs and RHCs to serve as telehealth distant site providers during a public health emergency. Includes information on reimbursement for telehealth services and billing for virtual communication services.

View guidance here.

Watch additional information here.

COVID-19: Health Care in Rural America

A podcast focusing on how rural areas are taking action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Looks at public health responses, volunteer activities, the effects of social distancing, and healthcare workforce issues. Features Alana Knudson, co-director of the Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, and physician Dr. James Hotz.

See podcast transcript here.