The Economic Research Service (ERS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture details their research into contributing factors for geographic differences, with a focus on the widespread introduction of prescription drugs in rural and urban areas.
GAO Report on Federal Response to the Pandemic
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) researches Federal government operations and reports fact-based, non-partisan information. Over the last year, the GAO made 44 specific recommendations for an effective federal response to COVID-19 and provides and update on progress in this report. Information specific to rural areas, such as distributions from the Provider Relief Fund and special funding for telehealth, is detailed throughout.
New Report on FQHCs and Vaccine Equity
A new report by Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) responds to the question of whether health centers are facilitating equitable access to COVID-19 vaccinations based on data from the HRSA Weekly Health Center COVID-19 Survey. The report finds that:
- Just over half (54%) of people who received their first dose of the vaccine from FQHCs were people of color, including 26% who were Hispanic and 12% who were Black.
- Health centers appear to be vaccinating people of color at similar or higher rates than their shares of the total population, but data suggest there remain opportunities for health centers to reach more of their patients of color.
It’s important to note that the report analyzes data from Jan. 8 through Feb. 6, largely before the start of the HRSA FQHC Vaccine Program that has made vaccine supply more available and predictable for participating health centers. The program has opened opportunities for better planning, outreach and partnership to better reach underserved populations. Read more.
Analysis: The Connection Between Race and Opportunity in Rural Parts of the 5th Federal Reserve District
By Surekha Carpenter and Sonya Ravindranath Waddell, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
More than a quarter of the nation’s rural Black population lives in the five-state region covered by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The region’s history has a big impact on the economic conditions these communities face today.
Read more
Q&A: Dr. Lisa Pruitt on Academia’s Rural Gaps and Blind Spots
By Olivia Weeks
The legal scholar shares her thoughts on poverty, class, feminism, and a memoir recounting her journey from small-town Arkansas to the “chattering classes” of California.
Read more
New Resource: Integrating Oral Health and Primary Care
The Primary Care Collaborative has released a new report: “Innovations in Oral Health and Primary Care Integration.” The report provides a comprehensive look at the critical need to integrate oral health and primary care and showcases the multitude of ways that healthcare clinicians, community, and public health leaders are working together across the country to make it happen.
Appalachian Research Journal Publishes Coronavirus Research Results
The Journal of Appalachian Health has many research articles pertaining to the Coronavirus pandemic. Check them out HERE:
COVID-19 and Opioid Use in Appalachian Kentucky: Challenges and Silver Linings
Authors: Rachel Vickers-Smith, Hannah L.F. Cooper, April M. Young
Rural Appalachia Battling the Intersection of Two Crises: COVID-19 and Substance Use Disorders
Authors: Margaret Miller, Rebekah Rollston, Kate E. Beatty, Michael Meit
Impact of the COVID-19 Shutdown on Mental Health in Appalachia by Working Status
Authors: Erin N. Haynes, Timothy J. Hilbert, Susan C. Westneat, Kate Leger, Katie Keynton, et al.
A Description of COVID-19 Lifestyle Restrictions Among a Sample of Rural Appalachian Women
Authors: Michele Staton, Martha Tillson, J. Matthew Webster
Authors: Tauna Gulley, Teresa Tyson, Ethan Collins, Rachel Helton, Paula Hill-Collins, et al.
Advancing Cancer Prevention Practice Facilitation Work in Rural Primary Care During COVID-19
Authors: Dannell Boatman, Susan Eason, Mary E. Conn, Summer Miller, Stephenie Kennedy-Rea
Poll Finds Rural Residents More Hesitant to Get Vaccinated
Author: Tim Marema
Opioid and Substance Use Strategies for CAHs
The HRSA/FORHP-funded Flex Monitoring Team has released their archived webinar on opioid and substance use in rural communities. The webinar took place in February to accompany a policy brief published last year. The webinar discusses why Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) should address these issues, provides a framework to support them in this work, and provides examples of activities CAHs are participating in.
Post-acute Care Trajectories for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries: Planned versus Actual Hospital Discharges to Skilled Nursing Facilities and Home Health Agencies
Post-acute care services are designed to help patients transition from hospitalization in acute care facilities to their homes. Skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies provide the majority of post-acute care services to Medicare beneficiaries. This study from the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center used Medicare administrative data for rural, fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries to describe post-acute care trajectories following acute hospitalization and examine differences between planned discharge disposition from the hospital and actual post-acute care received.
HHS Reports on Risk of COVID-19 Infections in Fee-For-Service Medicare
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services points to several factors raising the risk of infections, hospitalization, and deaths. These risks vary across the country, with some geographic areas having higher concentrations of at-risk beneficiaries. This issue brief provides information on risk scores at the national, state, and county level, and includes a database of risk scores by county.