Rural Health
Research Gateway

Amy Martin, DrPH

Rural and Minority Health Research Center

Phone: 843.792.8270
Email: martinamy@musc.edu

Medical University of South Carolina
College of Dental Medicine
173 Ashley Ave
Charleston, SC 29425

Current Projects - (1)

Completed Projects - (7)

  • Analysis of State Dental Hygiene Practice Acts and Medicaid Policies for Children's Dental Care: Services Covered and Practitioners Reimbursed
    The purpose of this qualitative analysis will be to obtain a clear picture of the degree to which (1) state SCHIP and Medicaid programs are implementing waivers, or other programs, to improve access to dental care for vulnerable populations including children and pregnant women; and (2) dental hygienists impact the dental safety net for rural America.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Children and adolescents, Health disparities and health equity, Maternal health, Medicaid and CHIP, Oral health
  • Chartbook: Oral Health and Unmet Needs for Dental Care Among Children
    This study will characterize oral health status, dental care utilization, and unmet dental care needs among U.S. children by urban/rural residence. It will provide a descriptive analysis, using cross-sectional data from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Children and adolescents, Health disparities and health equity, Oral health, Rural statistics and demographics
  • Dental Sealant Utilization Among Rural and Urban Children
    Dental sealants can prevent or reduce dental caries among children, but only about a third of children currently have sealants. This project will explore the dissemination of sealants among rural children, identifying characteristics of children and communities with low sealant use.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Children and adolescents, Oral health
  • Dialysis Availability in Rural America
    Working from Medicare Dialysis Compare files and the Standard Analysis File of the US Renal Data System, we will evaluate the current availability of dialysis services across rural America. We will examine general availability of services, service to population ratios, and patient outcome measures across levels of rurality.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Diabetes, Medicare
  • Disparities in Access to Oral Health Care Among Rural Children: Current Status and Models for Innovation
    The ACA contains key provisions on addressing oral health disparities among vulnerable populations. This project will provide baseline information on trends in rural health and describe the experiences of four states taking innovative approaches to implementation of key ACA oral health provisions.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Children and adolescents, Oral health
  • For Amber "Waives" of Grain: The Impact of Medicaid Managed Care Waiver Programs on Care Choices in Rural America
    This project used a combination of systematic review of waiver content and structured interviews with key informants to assess the potential for rural disparities in access to care for Medicaid enrollees.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Medicaid and CHIP
  • Role of Free Clinics in the Rural Safety Net
    This two-part study will combine a mapping project that documents the location of free clinics across the US with a telephone survey of the 21 state and 2 regional free clinic associations.
    Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

Publications - (12)

2018

  • Medicaid Managed Care and the Rural Exception: A Review of Issues and Perspectives From the Field
    Policy Brief
    Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Date: 05/2018
    To examine the intersection of state Medicaid procedures with rural populations, we conducted a review of Medicaid waivers current as of September 2017. This was supplemented with calls to State Offices of Rural Health (SORHs), state Medicaid offices, and other relevant stakeholders in an attempt to understand the process of waiver development.

2017

2015

  • Obesity and Obesity-Related Behaviors Among Rural and Urban Adults in the United States
    Journal Article
    Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Date: 10/2015
    Examines the differences in obesity-related behaviors across rural and urban adult populations in the United States. Data from the 1999 - 2006 National health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used.
  • Free Clinics in the Rural Safety Net, 2014
    Policy Brief
    Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Date: 09/2015
    This brief explores two issues. First, it examines where free clinics are located and describes their availability in rural counties across all 50 states. Second, through telephone interviews with leadership at 14 of the 21 state free clinic associations, it explores the issues they face.

2014

  • Rural Border Health Chartbook II
    Chartbook
    Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Date: 10/2014
    This chartbook presents an analysis of border counties, urban and rural, by comparing them to other counties within the four border states and to rural and urban counties in the rest of the county. It details county-level rates and statistics for socio-demographic factors, the physical environment, access to care, and health outcomes.

2013

  • Dental Sealant Utilization Among Rural and Urban Children
    Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Date: 03/2013
    This report examines the proportion of rural children who have received dental sealants applied to the surface of their teeth to prevent or delay the development of dental decay.
  • Dialysis Availability in Rural America
    Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Date: 01/2013
    This study explores the availability of dialysis services in rural America, including the prevalence of dialysis use across urban and rural counties, travel distance for services, and dialysis quality outcomes.
  • Rural Border Health Chartbook
    Rural and Minority Health Research Center
    Date: 01/2013
    The chartbook examines potential geographic and ethnic disparities among U.S. border residents and describes select indicators related to access to care, women's preventive services, oral health, infectious and communicable diseases, and mental health that have been identified as disparities.

2012

2010

2008