Health News
Though rural Americans have more chronic health conditions than those who live in urban centers, they have poorer access to health care, a working paper released last month confirms. Health experts are pointing to technology, including telemedicine, to help bridge the gap.
- Tobacco Use Higher In Rural Areas; Several Factors Include Tobacco Companies' Targeting Of Rural Youth, Lung Assn. Says
Tobacco use is higher among rural communities than in suburban and urban areas, and smokeless tobacco use is twice as common. According to the American Lung Association, rural youth are more likely to use tobacco and to start earlier than urban youth,...
- Rural Health Care Is A Notch Below Care In Urban Areas, But Its Costs Are Lower And Its Emergency Rooms Are Faster, Study Finds
A national study has found a narrow gap between the quality of health care in rural and urban settings, but it does recognize the "significant differences" differences between urban and rural care. The report is an update to "Rural Relevance Under Healthcare...
- Care In Rural Hospitals Is Just As Good As That In Urban Hospitals, Study Concludes
While rural Americans have less access to primary care and have worse health outcomes, the care at rural hospitals is equal to, if not better, than that at urban hospitals, a National Rural Health Association report says. The study also found rural health...
- Rural Children Face More Health Risks; Most Parents Say Their Kids Are Healthy
Children in rural areas face more health challenges than those in urban parts of the country, and are more likely to be poor, more vulnerable to death from injuries, and more likely to use tobacco. Rural families also have more difficulty in gaining access...
- Rural Hospitals To Get Federal Help For Recruiting Physicians
Critical-access hospitals will get help recruiting physicians to their rural areas through an expanded loan repayment program that is part of President Obama's new jobs initiative for rural America. The initiative is called the National Health Service...
Health News
Rural folks have more chronic conditions and less access to health care, and Kentucky is one of the more rural states
Though rural Americans have more chronic health conditions than those who live in urban centers, they have poorer access to health care, a working paper released last month confirms. Health experts are pointing to technology, including telemedicine, to help bridge the gap.The paper was compiled by the UnitedHealth Center for Health & Reform Modernization, an arm of the nation's largest health insurer. It found "there are only 65 primary care physicians per 100,000 rural Americans ? 40 or so less than the 105 per 100,000 urban and suburban Americans," Molly O'Toole of Reuters reports. "Already five million rural residents live in 'shortage areas' defined by the government as counties with less than 33 primary care physicians per 100,000 residents." The problem intensifies when it comes to specialists, with rural areas having fewer than half the number of surgeons and other specialists per capita.
Kentucky is one of the more rural states, with the latest U.S. Census numbers showing that about 42 percent of its population lives in rural areas.
The study incorporated results of a survey of about 3,000 patients and primary-care physicians. It found drug abuse and teen pregnancy are bigger concerns in rural areas than in cities. Rural people tend to think their local health care is lower in quality than in urban centers. In many instances, they're right. "UnitedHealth confirmed this 'equality deficit' is supported by data showing that in 70 percent of markets, rural quality of care was measurably worse than in urban areas," O'Toole reports.
To remedy the situation, the report advises expanding the role for nurse practitioners and incorporating more mobile health clinics, technology such as telemedicine and preventive care into health care. (Read more)
- Tobacco Use Higher In Rural Areas; Several Factors Include Tobacco Companies' Targeting Of Rural Youth, Lung Assn. Says
Tobacco use is higher among rural communities than in suburban and urban areas, and smokeless tobacco use is twice as common. According to the American Lung Association, rural youth are more likely to use tobacco and to start earlier than urban youth,...
- Rural Health Care Is A Notch Below Care In Urban Areas, But Its Costs Are Lower And Its Emergency Rooms Are Faster, Study Finds
A national study has found a narrow gap between the quality of health care in rural and urban settings, but it does recognize the "significant differences" differences between urban and rural care. The report is an update to "Rural Relevance Under Healthcare...
- Care In Rural Hospitals Is Just As Good As That In Urban Hospitals, Study Concludes
While rural Americans have less access to primary care and have worse health outcomes, the care at rural hospitals is equal to, if not better, than that at urban hospitals, a National Rural Health Association report says. The study also found rural health...
- Rural Children Face More Health Risks; Most Parents Say Their Kids Are Healthy
Children in rural areas face more health challenges than those in urban parts of the country, and are more likely to be poor, more vulnerable to death from injuries, and more likely to use tobacco. Rural families also have more difficulty in gaining access...
- Rural Hospitals To Get Federal Help For Recruiting Physicians
Critical-access hospitals will get help recruiting physicians to their rural areas through an expanded loan repayment program that is part of President Obama's new jobs initiative for rural America. The initiative is called the National Health Service...