NRHA's Rural Health Voices blog offers informed commentary on the latest news in rural health care from NRHA staff and editorials from selected contributors.
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Author:
Angela Lutz
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During his 20-year career in public health education and research, Karriem Watson, DHSc, has seen firsthand the power of community engagement. As chief engagement officer at the National Institute of Health’s All of Us Research Program, Watson has drawn on his personal and professional experiences to inform his approach to encourage underrepresented populations to participate in health research. All of Us is a national initiative aimed at engaging more than one million people from...
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Author:
Angela Lutz
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More than three decades ago, NRHA President Leslie Marsh came to rural Nebraska and fell in love with small town life. Since then, she’s become a vocal rural health advocate and leader, having served in leadership roles at Lexington (Neb.) Regional Health Center for more than 25 years and as the facility’s current CEO. She recently told NRHA more about her passion for health policy, her early experiences with NRHA, and why rethinking rural health care is on her 2023 presidential...
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Author:
Angela Lutz
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Over the last decade, the national perception of rural America has started to change. Gone is the antiquated idea that all rural people are white, poorer, and less educated than their urban and suburban counterparts, with small towns being more accurately portrayed as innovative, diverse, and rich in culture and community. That shift in mentality has been bolstered by a corresponding increase in rural health research, which has helped people across the country gain a clearer and more...
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Author:
Angela Lutz
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In more than three decades as a rural health researcher, NRHA member Keith Mueller has become one of the nation’s foremost rural health policy experts. He has also been a steadfast supporter of NRHA, having generously donated to support the mission and rural leadership training programs of NRHA’s Rural Health Foundation. Mueller recently sat down with NRHA to tell us more about his career, why he is passionate about rural health research, and why he feels it’s vital to...
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Author:
Angela Lutz
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It has been nearly three years since COVID-19 first upended life and health care as we know it. Since then, many rural health care providers and stakeholders – including the National Rural Health Association – have strongly encouraged vaccination as the best way to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death from the virus – but in rural communities, vaccine confidence and demand remain serious and deadly concerns. Data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
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Author:
Angela Lutz
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After Nikki Greenaway gave birth to her first child in 2011, she knew something was wrong. Caught in the throes of postpartum depression, she sought advice from family and friends but repeatedly had her concerns dismissed – “Oh, it’s just the blues,” they told her. Greenaway has been a board-certified family nurse practitioner since 2012 and is also an international board-certified lactation specialist, but a decade ago no one was talking much about maternal health...
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As rural communities work to address the opioid epidemic, they face limited service and workforce capacity, stigma, health disparities, and sparse populations. Through the Health Resources and Service Administration’s (HRSA) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) multi-year initiative, more than $400 million has been invested across more than 1,500 counties within 47 states and two territories since 2018 to address these barriers and assist rural communities in reducing the...
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Author:
Angela Lutz
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Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States, contributing to the deaths of more than 300,000 Americans annually. Being obese or overweight puts individuals at risk for many chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer. In many cases, obesity can also impact and be exacerbated by a person’s mental health and well-being, contributing to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and sleep disorders.
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Author:
Angela Lutz
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Education is vital to achieving rural LGBTQ+ health equity, but many health care providers and staff do not receive training specific to these populations in school. Without access to high quality, timely, and affirming care, LGBTQ+ residents may go without necessary routine or preventive care and may have a harder time getting appropriate care during acute and emergency situations.
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Rural health care often conjures images of shuttered hospitals and the slow exodus of the young to urban areas. Yet each rural community has its own unique identity with its own challenges and opportunities. The independent spirit that fuels rural America presents opportunities to develop unique and innovative solutions to the obstacles faced by rural health care providers.
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