The American Heart Association has released their 19th annual “State of Tobacco Control” report evaluates states and the federal government on the proven-effective tobacco control laws and policies necessary to save lives. This year’s report focuses on the importance of ending tobacco use amid the pandemic, as smoking is a risk factor for the most severe illness from COVID‑19 symptoms. The report also discusses the actions the new Biden Administration and states need to take to prevent and reduce tobacco use.

Key Findings

• With 1 in 5 teens vaping, our children are becoming the next generation addicted to tobacco. This is largely driven by flavored e-cigarettes. It’s imperative our states and the federal government pass policies to prevent youth from starting to use tobacco and to help everyone quit.
• As a result of decades of targeting by Big Tobacco, many Americans, including Black people, LGBTQ people and persons with lower income are disproportionately harmed by tobacco-related death and disease.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has placed increased attention on lung health. Since smoking increases the risk of the most severe impacts of COVID-19, preventing and reducing tobacco use is more critical than ever.

See how your state is doing.

Changes in Employment During the COVID-19 Recession
See new research that focuses on recent changes in employment by residents’ education, race, ethnicity, and gender in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The research finds that overall, the employment rate fell by roughly 8 percentage points between May 2019–October 2019 and the same period in 2020, from 76.5 percent to 68.4 percent.

New Tool Allows Users to Explore Opportunities for Occupational Mobility
See the Occupational Mobility Explorer, which allows users to examine opportunities for workers to transfer their skills from one occupation to a similar — but higher-paying — occupation in the same labor market. The tool brings to life the data behind our recent report, Exploring a Skills-Based Approach to Occupational Mobility.

More on Transitions to Better-Paying Occupations
Read our new research that identifies pathways for COVID-19 displaced workers employed in the hardest-hit occupations in the Philadelphia metro area to translate their existing skills into higher-paying occupations, some of which were more resilient to the pandemic.

The Rural Health Value team recently released a Summit Findings report focused on design of value-based care models to support rural health organization participation and success.

How to Design Value‐Based Care Models for Rural Participant Success: A Summit Findings Report

Based on the input from a two-day virtual summit of rural participants in value-based care models and programs, this report summarizes themes and actionable recommendations that can be used by those designing and supporting value-based care models to improve the viability, relevance, and likelihood of rural health care organization participation and success.

Direct Link:  https://ruralhealthvalue.public-health.uiowa.edu/files/Rural%20VBC%20Summit%20Report.pdf

Top resources on the Rural Health Value website:

• Let’s Talk about CHART – The Rural Health Value team has been hosting virtual discussions to help rural communities and stakeholders identify opportunities, questions, and potential next steps regarding the CMMI CHART Community Track Model.
• Value-Based Care Assessment – Assess capacity and capabilities to deliver value-based care. Receive an eight category readiness report.
• Physician Engagement – Score current engagement and build effective relationships to create a shared vision for a successful future.
• Board and Community Engagement – Hold value-based care discussions as part of strategic planning and performance measurement.
• Social Determinants of Health – Learn and encourage rural leaders/care teams to address issues to improve their community’s health.

Contact information:

Keith J. Mueller, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator, keith-mueller@uiowa.edu

Researchers from Montana say that the well-established narrative about rural decline tells only a part of the story. Looking at the counties that went from rural to urban reveals what propelled growth among some of the rural areas.

Research by Headwaters Economics shows we’ve been measuring rural growth wrong. As rural counties add population, they can grow out of their rural category and take their economic growth with them.

“Rural America is reported as declining in part because we no longer count as Rural those counties that grew into a Metro classification. We are measuring those counties that stay Rural which, by definition, have not grown,” stated the report.

The research showed that 48% of counties that were classified as rural in 1970 grew into metropolitan counties by 2018. But the ones that remained rural had their share of success as well. For example, the average poverty rate in rural counties overall dropped 26% between 1970 and 2018.

The team from Bozeman, Montana found commonalities among counties that switched from rural to urban and among those that remained rural.

While the majority of “switcher” counties are located close to existing cities, they are also more likely to have diversified economies and be home to a university.

Read more.

Commentary

Rural Community Toolbox to Help Battle Opioid Epidemic, Liz Carey

Advancing Cancer Prevention Practice Facilitation Work in Rural Primary Care During COVID-19, Dannell Boatman, Susan Eason, Mary E. Conn, Summer Miller, & Stephenie Kennedy-Rea

COVID-19 and Opioid Use in Appalachian Kentucky: Challenges and Silver Linings, Rachel Vickers-Smith, Hannah L.F. Cooper, & April M. Young

Research Articles

Improving Access to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in High-Need Areas: The Role of HRSA Health Centers, Michael Topmiller, Jennifer Rankin, Jessica L. McCann, Jene Grandmont, David Grolling, Mark Carrozza, Hank Hoang, Josh Bolton, & Alek Sripipatana

In Their Own Words: How Opioids Have Impacted the Lives of “Everyday” People Living in Appalachia , Patricia Nola Eugene Roberson, Gina Cortez, Laura H. Trull, & Katherine Allison Lenger

Qualitative Analysis of Maternal Barriers and Perceptions to Participation in a Federal Supplemental Nutrition Program in Rural Appalachian North Carolina , Sydeena E. Isaacs, Lenka H. Shriver, & Lauren Haldeman

Leveraging Electronic Health Records Data for Enhanced Colorectal Cancer Screening Efforts, Adam D. Baus, Lauren E. Wright, Stephenie Kennedy-Rea, Mary E. Conn, Susan Eason, Dannell Boatman, Cecil Pollard, Andrea Calkins, & Divya Gadde

Review & Special Articles

The Landscape of Connected Cancer Symptom Management in Rural America: A Narrative Review of Opportunities for Launching Connected Health Interventions , Ming-Yuan Chih, Anna McCowan, Sadie Whittaker, Melinda Krakow, David K. Ahern, Eliah Aronoff-Spencer, Bradford W. Hesse, Timothy W. Mullett, & Robin C. Vanderpool

Media Reviews & Reports

Review of: From the Front Lines of the Appalachian Addiction Crisis Healthcare Providers Discuss Opioids, Meth and Recovery , Carl G. Leukefeld

Notes from the Field

Rural Appalachia Battling the Intersection of Two Crises: COVID-19 and Substance Use Disorders, Margaret Miller, Rebekah Rollston, Kate E. Beatty, & Michael Melt