A new commentary in NRHA’s Journal of Rural Health examines the relationship between substance use and coronavirus in the Southern Mountains region of Appalachia. Authors cite recent data showing greater and faster-increasing COVID-19 rates in Appalachia and the South and rural-specific challenges to programs for overdose prevention and infection control.
Journal of Appalachian Health: Volume 2, Issue 3 Available NOW!
Fiscal Challenges and Anticipated Changes to Kentucky’s Population Health System
Jeffrey Howard, University of Louisville
Tim Thomas, Appalachian Regional Commission
Appalachian Regional Commission Recovery Ecosystem Background and Overview
Kostas Skordas & Andrew Howard, Appalachian Regional Commission
Research Articles
Rachel Hogg-Graham, Angela Carman, Glen P. Mays, and Pierre Martin Dominique Zephyr
Parental Impact on Child Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Appalachian North Carolina
Allison V. Farrell, Richard W. Christiana, Rebecca A. Battista, and J. Joy James
Julie P. Marcinek, Alek Sripipatana, and Sue C. Lin
Consumption of Added Sugars by Rural Residents of Southwest Virginia
Maryam Yuhas, Valisa Hedrick, and Jamie Zoellner
Review & Special Articles
Preface: Experiencing Cancer in Appalachian Kentucky
Michele Ellison and Robin C. Vanderpool
Experiencing Cancer in Appalachian Kentucky
Melanie McComsey, David Ahern, Robin C. Vanderpool, Timothy W. Mullett, Ming-Yuan Chih, Meghan Johnson, Michele Ellison, Karen Onyeije, Bradford W. Hesse, and Eliah Aronoff-Spencer
Responding to Appalachian Voices: Steps in Developing Substance-Use Recovery Ecosystems
Bruce Behringer
Bruce Behringer
New Brief: Boosting Oral Health Care in Rural Communities
The National Conference of State Legislators released a legislative brief on “Boosting Oral Health Care in Rural Communities.” The brief visits topics such as teledentistry, mobile dental services, and workforce efforts. Rural communities face a range of barriers to accessing oral health care such as long distances to providers, lack of transportation, lack of insurance, and a shortage of oral health providers.
Healthy People Law and Health Policy Oral Health Report Released
The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) released “Using Law and Policy to Promote the Use of Oral Health Services in the United States.” This is the fifth report in a series highlighting the practical application of law and policy to improve health across the nation. The report presents evidence-based policy solutions that community leaders, government officials, public health professionals, health care providers, lawyers, and social service providers can use in their communities.
Committee Analysis Examines Longstanding Racial and Economic Disparities that Expose Inequities in the U.S. Health System
The House Ways and Means Committee released a report that analyzed health care inequity among different U.S. residents. It found that although 97% of America is rural, only a small percentage of Americans live in these areas. This creates challenges in sustaining the health care workforce and capacity for service delivery in rural communities. Some of these issues include an aging infrastructure, economic disinvestment, workforce shortages, and environmental challenges to higher burdens of chronic conditions. The report also highlighted the disparities among minority groups in statistics such as infant mortality, life expectancy, language diversity, and access to mental health care.
Post-Acute Skilled Nursing Care Availability in Rural United States
This study from the Southwest Rural Health Research Center finds that portions of rural America are possibly skilled nursing deserts, thus lacking the physical presence of facilities to provide post-acute skilled nursing care. Read more here.
Development of a National Childhood Obesogenic Environment Index in the United States: Differences by Region and Rurality
Researchers at the Rural and Minority Health Research Center identified community-level variables associated with healthy eating and physical activity for youth and ranked all counties to develop a childhood obesogenic environment index (COEI). The COEI can be applied to benchmark obesogenic environments and identify geographic disparities and intervention targets. Future research can examine associations with obesity and other health outcomes. Find more information here.
The Unique Impact of COVID-19 on Older Adults in Rural Areas
The University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center identifies pre-existing rural/urban inequities related to health care capacity, economic security, access to technology, and social needs that amount to heightened risk of illness and isolation for many older adults in rural areas. Read more here.
AJPH Examines the Rural-Urban Gap in Health and Social Services
In a special issue released the week of July 16, the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) features a collection of 15 new studies demonstrating the connection between health and social services. The publication makes the case that these cross-sector connections have been slower to develop in rural communities than in urban. Read more here.
Telehealth Availability in US Hospitals in the Face of the COVID‐19 Pandemic
The Journal of Rural Health grants free access to this research policy brief that examines telehealth availability and readiness in U.S. hospitals. The variables examined include organizational factors, county population, geography, and census divisions.