The Congressional Research Service (CRS) provides objective policy and legal analysis to committees and members of the U.S. House and Senate. This report provides an overview of federal programs designed to accelerate broadband deployment and adoption in minority communities, rural and tribal areas, and among other eligible households.
Research: Minority Race/Ethnicity and Cancer Disparities in Rural Areas of the United States
The Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) is an international organization providing open access to more than 300 academic journals. In an article published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers examine how racism and related social determinants of health expose rural Black and American Indian/Alaska Native populations to greater risk of developing cancer.
Research: Impact of COVID-19 Shutdown on Mental Health in Appalachia
A study published in the Journal of Appalachian Health examines whether there were higher levels of anxiety, fear, and depression among those who continued working outside the home compared with those who began working remotely during the shutdown. A separate article in the same issue, A Description of COVID-19 Lifestyle Restrictions Among a Sample of Rural Appalachian Women gives findings of a survey that asked about social interactions, doctor visits, child care, and substance use recovery.
ERS: Rural Residents More Vulnerable to COVID-19
The Economic Research Service (ERS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture examines trends in COVID-19 case rates and death rates for urban and rural areas. Find more information here.
Changes in CDC Gonorrhea Treatment Recommendations
The Pennsylvania Department of Health released a PA Health Alert Network (PAHAN-549-01-29-ADV) on Changes in the CDC Gonorrhea Treatment Recommendations. With the ongoing threat of antibiotic resistance in gonorrhea, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a change to the recommended treatment for gonorrhea. It is suggested that providers adopt these new CDC recommendations as cases are at and a historic high. Young adults age 15-30 represent a significant disproportionate number of cases, representing 63% of all reported cases in 2020. Providers are encouraged to maintain a high index of suspicion for the emergence of resistant gonorrhea by immediately reporting any suspected treatment failures to 1-877-PA-HEALTH. Click here to read the PAHAN.
Routine Dental Care May Reduce Stroke Risk
The importance of good oral health and its relationship to physical health has again been validated. According to a new study published in the American Heart Journal, periodontal disease appears to be associated with atrial fibrillation, and an irregular heart rate may be the mediator between the serious gum infection and stroke.
Study Finds Young Adults Are Major Coronavirus Spreaders
A new study finds that adults aged 20-49 were responsible for most virus transmission last year, even after schools reopened in the fall. The study, published in Science, challenges the notion that non-vulnerable people can go about their normal lives, while vulnerable people self-isolate. Three-quarters of new infections originated from adults 20–49 until mid-August of last year, with adults 35–49 contributing the most to spread. In October, after a large portion of U.S. students returned to school, this age group was still responsible for about 72 percent of new infections. The study estimates that school reopening’s increased total infections by about 26 percent as of October, and deaths by about six percent–because children and teenagers spread the virus to adults, who are “more transmission efficient.”
Eight Most Convincing Messages to Promote COVID-19 Vaccines
About 57 percent of U.S. adults say they would be more willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine if they heard it was “highly effective” in preventing falling ill to the virus, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s latest COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor report released Jan. 27.
The survey, which was conducted from Jan. 11-18 and included 1,563 U.S. adults who were contacted via random digit dial telephone samples, examines people’s willingness to get the vaccine as well as the messages and information they find most convincing to support the effort.
Here are the messages respondents said would make them more likely to get vaccinated for COVID-19:
- The vaccines are highly effective in preventing illness: 57 percent
- The vaccine will protect you from getting sick: 56 percent
- The quickest way for life to return to normal is for most people to get vaccinated: 54 percent
- Millions of people have safely been vaccinated: 46 percent
- We need people to get vaccinated to get the U.S. economy back on track: 45 percent
- A physician/provider you trust got the vaccine: 38 percent
- There is no cost to get the vaccine: 36 percent
- A close friend/family member got vaccinated: 32 percent
Click here to view the full report.
Advancing Population Health in Rural Places: Key Lessons and Policy Opportunities
This paper from the RUPRI Health Panel reviews Medicare and Medicaid demonstration projects, determining critical questions and opportunities for future policy.
NIH: Methamphetamine Overdose Deaths Rise Sharply Nationwide
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) report that, from 2011-2018, deaths more than quadrupled among non-Hispanic American Indians and Alaska Natives from 4.5 to 20.9 per 100,000 people. The U.S. average for people aged 25 – 54 increased from 1.3 to 7.3 per 100,000 people during that time period.