For those intending to research, plan, implement, evaluate, or otherwise consider community paramedicine (CP) systems, this guide from the National Rural Health Resource Center includes a compilation of cited references that describe the impact of previously implemented CP initiatives. Read more here.
CDC Guidance for HIV Self-Testing During Quarantine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued brief guidance for health departments, community-based organizations, and other clinical providers for expanding their support for HIV self-testing where face-to-face testing services have been disrupted. Read more here.
CDC Training Pediatric Medical Providers to Recognize ACEs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created an online training platform that focuses on the central role that pediatric medical providers play in understanding, recognizing, preventing, and treating adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Read more here.
Medicare COVID-19 Data Release
On Monday, June 22, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released preliminary data on COVID-19 derived from Medicare claims. Between January 1 and May 16, 2020, over 325,000 Medicare beneficiaries were diagnosed with COVID-19, and nearly 110,000 of those were hospitalized. The snapshot breaks down COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations for Medicare beneficiaries by state; race/ethnicity; dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid; age; gender; and urban/rural areas. Read more here.
Supply and Distribution of the Primary Care Workforce in Rural America: 2019
Researchers at the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center studied county-level data to calculate provider-to-population ratios of primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants and then compared those ratios between metropolitan, micropolitan, and non-core counties. Nationally, the provider-to-population ratio of family physicians is slightly higher in rural than urban areas, but the overall per capita supply of primary care providers remains substantially lower in rural areas than urban areas. Read more here.
AHRQ: Characteristics and Costs of Potentially Preventable Inpatient Stays
The Agency for Healthcare Research Quality (AHRQ) examines the costs of potentially preventable hospitalizations, with a comparison of metropolitan and rural hospitals. The report is part of AHRQs Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, a collection of data and analyzation tools to enable research on a broad range of health policy issues. Read more here.
Experts Talk About the Rural Aspects of Alzheimer’s Disease
A new feature article in the Rural Monitor looks extensively at data, challenges, and resources Alzheimer’s in rural areas. Read more here.
NIH National COVID Cohort Collaborative
As part of an effort to help scientists understand COVID and develop treatments, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a centralized, secure enclave to store and study clinical record data from people who have been diagnosed. The collaborative aims to transform clinical information into knowledge urgently needed to study COVID-19, including health risk factors that indicate better or worse outcomes of the disease, and identify potentially effective treatments. Read more here.
State Rural Hospital and Community COVID-19 Vulnerability
Researchers at the University of North Carolina Rural Health Research Program created a chart that shows the number of rural hospitals in each state and measures community vulnerability using the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index. Read more here.
HHS Announces Partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine to Fight COVID-19 in Vulnerable Communities
On Monday, June 22, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced the selection of the Morehouse School of Medicine as the awardee for a new $40 million initiative to fight COVID-19 in racial and ethnic minority, rural, and socially vulnerable communities. The initiative – the National Infrastructure for Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 within Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities (NIMIC) – is a three-year project designed to work with community-based organizations across the nation to deliver education, information, and resources. Read more here.