In this policy brief from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, researchers offer strategies to support the development of systems across health care and community-based organizations to improve access to behavioral health.
Access the brief at Meeting the Behavioral Health Needs of Farm Families in Times of Economic Distress.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are events of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction occurring between birth and 17 years of age. Studies have found a direct correlation between ACEs and risky behaviors, poor physical health, and poor mental health outcomes in childhood. Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) include a nurturing, safe, and supportive environment allowing for health development and overall wellness. In prior research, rural-urban differences in PCEs have not been examined using all 50 states. This brief examines the types and counts of ACEs and PCEs for rural and urban children. The study also reports on the differences between rural and urban ACEs and PCEs across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Elizabeth Crouch, PhD
Rural and Minority Health Research Center
Phone: 803.576.6055
crouchel@mailbox.sc.edu
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania researchers Dr. Juliana Svistova, Dr. Ahyoung Lee, Dr. Christopher Harris, Dr. Juyoung Song, Jillian Horton, Barbe Fogarty, Julia Hansen, and Carlie Mills conducted the research, which assessed the demand for mental health services in rural Pennsylvania, with a focus on youth and the elderly.
The research also identified challenges rural populations face in accessing mental health care and identified options for improving and expanding mental health care services for underserved rural Pennsylvanians.
Read the executive summary here.
The full report can be accessed here: Access to Mental Health Services in Rural Pennsylvania
Evaluating the Rural HIV/AIDS Planning Program. This policy brief from the Minnesota Rural Health Research Center examines the experiences of the first grantee cohort of the Rural HIV/AIDS Planning Program, that began work in 2020. The evaluation focuses on what helped or hindered the program’s implementation and on factors that can inform the planning for future grants.
A study conducted by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) at the University of Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies found that increasing the number of female dentists in the workforce improves health equity. The study, “Evaluating the Impact of Dentists’ Personal Characteristics on Workforce Participation,” found that the percentage of active dentists who are women is increasing with the mean age of female dentists as significantly lower than that of male dentists. Female dentists were also more likely to be racially/ethnically diverse compared to male dentists.
According to the 2020 Pennsylvania LGBTQ+ Health Needs Assessment, many LGBTQ+ individuals never receive proper cancer screening services. For example, compared to the general population, LGBTQ+ individuals eligible for pap smears were more than 3 times as likely to never have one. A resource that is available to address this need is the PA Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (PA-BCCEDP), a program that provides free breast and cervical cancer screening to those who qualify including Pap tests, HPV tests, mammograms, and follow-up diagnostics for abnormal screening results. Clients must have income less than 250% of the federal poverty income guidelines, be uninsured or underinsured (high co-pays or deductibles) and live in Pennsylvania.
The age range for breast services is 40-64 and cervical services is 21-64. Younger high-risk clients may also be eligible. Transgender individuals may also be eligible. PA-BCCEDP does not cover the costs of HPV vaccines; however, the HPV vaccine is cervical cancer prevention. The vaccine is nearly 100% effective in preventing HPV-related cancers; it is recommended for ages 11-12 and is available for people up to 45 with clinician recommendation. Free HPV vaccines may be available for up to age 18 through the Pennsylvania Vaccines for Children Program. For more information regarding LGBTQ+ populations and cancer planning, please visit the National LGBT Cancer Network website.
Researchers at the North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center used data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Healthcare Cost Report Information System to compare the pre-closure profitability of rural hospitals that closed between 2017 and 2020 with the performance of rural hospitals that remained open.
Click here to read the results of the analysis: Rural Hospitals that Closed between 2017‐20: Profitability and Liquidity in the Year Before Closure
This brief presents the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Health Panel’s vision for a high-performing rural health system and specific pillars of such a system. The RUPRI Health Panel envisions rural health services that are affordable and accessible for all rural residents through a sustainable health system that delivers high quality, high value services. A high-performing rural health system informed by the needs of each unique rural community and population groups will improve community health and well-being.
Click here to access the brief: High Performing Rural Health System.
The latest brief from the Pennsylvania State Data Center explores trends in race and ethnicity from the 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data, with comparisons to 2010. The data show that the Commonwealth is more racially and ethnically diverse than last decade, with a considerable increase in the population that is multiracial, or “Two or More Races.” The Bureau notes that these changes are due in part to improvements and changes in how race and ethnicity are measured.
For more information on racial and ethnic trends in Pennsylvania, click here to read the full brief and click here for interactive map.
A new study from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) found that more than 1 in 4 households have delayed or missed children’s preventive checkups due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, “Missed and Delayed Preventive Health Care Visits Among U.S. Children Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic,” was published by Public Health Reports and uses data collected in April and May of 2021.
