University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center

Current Projects

• Access to and Use of Midwifery Care for Rural Residents
  Rural obstetric unit closures and health care workforce shortages limit access to care for pregnant rural residents. Our goal is to describe the midwifery workforce in rural communities and at rural hospitals that provide obstetric care, and to assess rural-urban differences in use of midwifery care at the time of childbirth.
  Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Maternal health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Women, Workforce
  
• Addressing Elder Abuse in Rural Areas
  Elder abuse, including financial, physical, and emotional abuse, as well as self-neglect, is widespread and impacts individual and population health outcomes. However, despite the fact that rural residents are older, in poorer health, and more financially vulnerable, little is known about rural/urban differences in the prevalence of and resources to address elder abuse; this project will address those gaps.
  Topics: Aging, Disabilities, Health disparities and health equity, Social determinants of health, Violence and abuse
  
• Extent and Coverage of Rural PACE Services
  Supporting independent living and aging in place for rural residents is more important than ever. This project will provide information on the extent and coverage of rural Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) programs, along with insights into the unique challenges and opportunities faced by PACE programs operating in rural areas.
  Topics: Aging, Disabilities, Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Home health, Social determinants of health
  
• Geographic and Socio-Demographic Correlates of Medical Debt Among Rural Residents
  Medical debt is widespread and impacts financial well-being and access to care. While research suggests that medical debt is higher among rural residents compared to urban residents, more work is needed to conclusively demonstrate rural/urban differences in medical debt and within-rural risk factors for greater medical debt by geography and socio-demographic characteristics.
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Poverty, Public health, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health
  
• Improving Health for "Homebound" Older Adults in Rural and Urban Areas
  This project will describe rural-urban differences in the risk of, and characteristics associated with, being classified as "homebound." We will also identify policy and programmatic interventions to reduce the risk of becoming homebound as well as to improve outcomes for those who are homebound.
  Topics: Aging, Disabilities, Health disparities and health equity, Home health, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health
  
• Measuring Rural-Urban Differences in Indigenous American Indian and Alaska Native Health
  This project will describe rural-urban and regional differences in health and health care access for Indigenous American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people; measure disparities in health between AI/AN people and non-Indigenous white people; and assess whether disparities are greater in rural areas.
  Topics: American Indians and Alaska Natives, Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health
  
• Monitoring Obstetric Unit Closures and Measuring Closure Impacts to Support Rural Maternity Care Access
  This project will create a public health data infrastructure with annually updated information on the loss of hospital-based obstetric services, merging policy-relevant hospital and county characteristics with transportation and geographic data, and measuring trends over time in the loss of hospital-based obstetric care.
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Maternal health, Women
  
• Neonatal Care at Rural Hospitals: Describing Access, Closures and Levels of Childbirth-Related Care
  This project will describe access to childbirth-related care for families living in rural and urban communities; it will document access to neonatal care and the levels of that care, describe rural counties that have lost access to neonatal care, and identify rural counties without access to either obstetric or neonatal services.
  Topics: Children and adolescents, Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Maternal health, Quality, Women
  
• Postpartum Morbidity and Mortality and Health Care Utilization in Rural vs. Urban Communities
  Using 2006-2018 data from the National Health Interview Survey linked to the National Death Index through 2019, this project will examine postpartum mortality among rural and urban residents. We will also evaluate differences in health, health care utilization, and barriers to care across rural and urban communities.
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Maternal health, Medicaid and CHIP, Mental and behavioral health, Private health insurance, Social determinants of health, Uninsured and underinsured, Women
  
• Rural Obstetric Unit Closures
  The goal of this project is to update prior research to include the latest information on the loss of hospital-based obstetric services in rural U.S. counties. This project is important because ensuring obstetric care access and reducing maternal mortality in rural and underserved areas is a key focus of national, state, and local policies.
  Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Maternal health, Women, Workforce
  
• Rural-Urban Differences in Access to and Quality of Care for People With Disabilities
  The purpose of this project is to identify rural-urban differences in access to and quality of health care services for people with disabilities. Results from this project will help inform policy to improve access to and quality of care for this growing population in rural areas.
  Topics: Aging, Disabilities, Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Quality, Social determinants of health