Rural and Minority Health Research Center

Current Projects

• Challenges, Successes, and Sustainability of the 2019 Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Programs
  This mixed-methods study aims to understand awardees' experiences in building and maintaining cohesive networks for Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS).
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Maternal health, Minority health, Networking and collaboration, Telehealth, Women
  
• Changes in Medicare Fee-for-Services Health Care Expenditures in Rural and Urban Communities after Passage of the Affordable Care Act
  This project will assess changes in Medicare per-beneficiary spending across rural and urban counties from 2007 to 2020. It will examine differences in rural versus urban per-beneficiary spending on hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient, physician, and post-acute care after the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
  Topics: Care management, Chronic diseases and conditions, Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Hospitals and clinics, Public health
  
• Disparities in Mental Health Services Access: the Intersectionality of Residence Rurality, Race, and Ethnicity
  In 2021, approximately 8.6 million rural adults faced mental health challenges while millions of rural adolescents battled major depressive episodes. This study examines disparities in mental health services uptake and variation in mental health care settings across racial-ethnic and rural-urban subpopulations before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
  Topics: Children and adolescents, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Health services, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health
  
• Identifying High-Need Counties for Resource Planning
  The primary aim of this project is to use data examining health care infrastructure, chronic disease prevalence, and the socioeconomic environment to create a metric for classifying rural counties based on needs and resources.
  Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Diabetes, Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Maternal health, Obesity, Oral health, Physicians, Poverty, Public health, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health, Uninsured and underinsured, Workforce
  
• Oral Healthcare Utilization and Outcomes of Rural and Urban Medicaid-Insured Children in the United States
  Using nationally representative Medicaid claims data, this project will determine rural-urban differences in the prevalence of early childhood caries, preventative dental visits, and restorative dental visits.
  Topics: Children and adolescents, Health disparities and health equity, Medicaid and CHIP, Oral health, Rural statistics and demographics
  
• Rural-Urban Differences in Addressable Drivers of Staff Turnover in Skilled Nursing Facilities
  The aim of the proposed study is to assess facility-level turnover rates for total nursing and registered nursing personnel across levels of rurality and by region looking at factors such as staffing ratios that can be managed by facility administrators.
  Topics: Health services, Hospitals and clinics, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Public health, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Workforce
  
• Rural-Urban Differences in Emergency Department Utilization and Costs for Dental Conditions
  Emergency Department (ED) Utilization is a de facto provider for untreated dental issues. Understanding rural-urban differences in ED use for dental conditions in recent years is essential to inform federal, state, and community-level dental health initiatives such as preventive dental care, tele-dentistry infrastructure expansion, and oral hygiene practices. Ongoing national efforts addressing rural disparities in dental care should target individuals most at risk for missing preventive care and utilizing the ED for dental care.
  Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Oral health
  
• Rural-Urban Disparities in Mental Health Access and Quality in the United States
  The purpose of this project is to document the recent trends of mental health care access and quality in urban and rural communities and to assess the intersectionality of residence rurality and race/ethnicity on disparities in mental health care access and quality.
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health
  
• Spatial Distribution of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Need and Care
  The incidence of HIV is disproportionately high in rural areas, but these communities often lack access to evidence-based interventions to prevent new HIV diagnoses such as PrEP. Using Medicaid claims data and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Provider file, this study will determine geographic disparities (by rurality and region) in the need for PrEP and PrEP availability and identify whether PrEP availability meets the needs across geography.
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Pharmacy and prescription drugs
  
• State-Level Medicaid Bundled Payments and Rural Perinatal Care
  The impacts of state-level Medicaid bundled payment models will depend on many factors, such as maternity care facility structure, scope of services, and local patient bypassing behaviors during prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum periods. For rural providers who often offer prenatal and postpartum care but not labor and delivery services, these bundled payments may impose additional financial and logistical challenges.
  Topics: Maternal health, Medicaid and CHIP
  
• The Rural Landscape of Diabetes in the United States
  Rural-urban differences in diabetes and diabetes management may be attributed to socioeconomic differences and treatment available to rural residents. Using data from 2021-2023 National Health Interview Survey, this study will examine 1) rural-urban differences in diabetes and prediabetes incidence and prevalences, 2) rural-urban differences in the management, treatment, and complications associated with diabetes, and co-occurring risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Using data from the 2021 and 2022 CDC WONDER, we will also report diabetes mortality differences by rurality and race/ethnicity.
  Topics: American Indians and Alaska Natives, Diabetes, Healthcare access, Hispanics, Minority health, Rural statistics and demographics