• Current Projects - (5)
• Completed Projects - (10)
• Publications - (16)

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Current Projects - (5)

• Availability and Characteristics of Outpatient and Residential Substance Use Treatment in Rural and Urban Areas
  This study will look at: 1) the availability of residential and outpatient treatment centers in rural and urban counties, including identifying counties with no facilities; and 2) characteristics of services offered (e.g., residential, outpatient), demographics of persons treated, and insurance plans accepted by rural vs urban centers.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Social determinants of health, Substance use and treatment
  
• Mental Health Treatment Among Rural and Urban Adults at Risk for Suicide
  This study will look at rural/urban disparities in 1) the receipt and sources of mental health treatment among adults with suicidal thoughts and attempts using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health; and 2) mental health follow-up visits among adults with a hospital admission or emergency department visit for self-inflicted harm using data from a national insurance claims dataset.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Post-acute care
  
• Risky Substance Use Among Rural and Urban Adults: An Update
  Very little research has examined rural vs. urban differences in substance misuse and treatment access nationally. Using public and nationally representative data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, this project will: 1) Estimate and compare alcohol use and binge drinking, and 2) Estimate and compare drug use (marijuana, other illicit drugs, and non-medical use of other drugs) between non-metropolitan and metropolitan adults.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Mental and behavioral health, Substance use and treatment
  
• Rural/Urban Inequities in Drug and Alcohol Use Treatment
  Using the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, this study will investigate rural vs. urban variations in treatment utilization for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and, separately, drug use disorder (DUD). It will yield prevalence estimates of any treatment receipt and sources of treatment among persons with past year AUD and DUD as well as the receipt of medication therapy among those treatable with medications.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Substance use and treatment
  
• Work Settings, Education, and Intent to Leave Practice among Rural vs. Urban Nurses
  Using data from the 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey, this project will describe rural/urban differences in nurses' work settings, levels of education and licensure, demographic characteristics, income, and intention to retire or leave practice. Study findings could be applied to implement policies aimed at increasing nursing school output and attracting nurses to practice in rural areas.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Workforce
  

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Completed Projects - (10)

• Longitudinal Trends in Community Mental Health Center and Federally Qualified Health Center Supply in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Counties
  This study described how the supply of community mental health centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers has changed over time in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan counties nationally.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health promotion and disease prevention, Hospitals and clinics, Mental and behavioral health, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Substance use and treatment
  
• Mental Health Treatment Access: How Do Mental Health Treatment Use and Unmet Treatment Need Vary Among Rural and Urban Adults Nationally?
  This project will estimate the prevalence and policy-modifiable correlates of unmet mental health treatment need and utilization among metropolitan, micropolitan, and other non-metropolitan adults nationally who have a mental health condition. Additionally, the study will investigate the same issues among Native Americans/American Indians.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: American Indians and Alaska Natives, Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Mental and behavioral health
  
• Risky Substance Use Among Adolescents and Adults in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Counties
  Little research has examined the prevalence of risky substance use (alcohol and drugs) among nonmetropolitan adolescents and adults relative to their metropolitan counterparts. Using nationally representative data, this project shed new light on the prevalence and correlates of risky substance use that could inform prevention strategies.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: American Indians and Alaska Natives, Health disparities and health equity, Health promotion and disease prevention, Mental and behavioral health, Minority health, Substance use and treatment
  
• Rural and Urban Cancer Survivors' Follow-Up Care Experiences
  This project examined rural vs. urban differences in cancer survivors' follow-up care experiences using the 2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Cancer, Care management, Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Physicians, Post-acute care, Quality
  
• Rural and Urban Differences in Access to Psychiatric Partial Hospitalization Programs
  The project informed policymakers about the accessibility of psychiatric partial hospitalization programs, which provide moderately intensive and structured psychiatric services in outpatient settings, particularly hospital-based outpatient clinics.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Mental and behavioral health
  
• Rural and Urban Primary Care Physicians' Colorectal Screening Performance
  The objectives of this project were to profile, compare, and further understand rural versus urban differences in colorectal screening performance among primary care physicians nationally.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Cancer, Chronic diseases and conditions, Health promotion and disease prevention, Healthcare access, Physicians
  
• Rural/Urban and Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Patient-Reported Health Care Access and Quality among Medicare Beneficiaries with Lung or Colorectal Cancer
  Incidence and mortality for colorectal and lung cancer are higher among rural versus urban residents, but many rural cancer patients lack accessible, high-quality care. This study 1) Identified rural/urban inequities in Medicare cancer patient-reported health care access and quality and 2) Determined if rural racial/ethnic minority patients have worse health care access and quality than rural White patients.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Cancer, Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Maternal health, Medicare, Minority health, Quality
  
• Rural/Urban Variations in Cancer Screening During the COVID-19 Pandemic
  Using the National Cancer Institute Health Information National Trends Survey, we examined how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the receipt of recommended screenings for common cancers. Findings informed policymakers about potential widening of rural/urban disparities in the receipt of cancer preventive services and the potential need to target these services toward rural residents.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Cancer, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Health disparities and health equity, Health promotion and disease prevention, Health services, Healthcare access
  
• Serious Mental Illness and Access to Care Among Rural and Urban Adults
  Very little research has examined the prevalence of serious mental illness and access to mental health treatment among rural relative to urban adults in the U.S. Using nationally representative data, this project shed new light on the prevalence and correlates of serious mental illness and related access to mental health services.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Mental and behavioral health, Substance use and treatment
  
• Substance Use, Depression, and Suicide: What Are the Individual and Policy-Modifiable Correlates Amongst Metropolitan and Non-metropolitan Adults?
  We estimated the prevalence of depression and suicidal ideation and attempts amongst metropolitan and non-metropolitan adults nationally. We also investigated how demographic, social, economic, and health (including alcohol and drug abuse) as well as healthcare access factors explain depression and suicide indicators amongst residents.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Mental and behavioral health, Substance use and treatment
  

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Publications - (16)