Young adolescents, age 10-15 years, have increasing psychosocial and biomedical health care needs, yet are some of the lowest users of conventional health services. In eastern North Carolina, school-based health centers (SBHCs) provide primary health care to thousands of school-age children in the most rural, medically underserved areas. SBHCs…

Geographical, economic, social and cultural barriers to accessing services in rural areas are widely reported. Less widely discussed are dilemmas posed by individual and community reluctance to address sensitive health issues. This article, focusing on the highly sensitive area of mental health, and employing a participatory action approach,…

Context: The challenge of providing meaningful health care services to veterans living in rural communities is a major public health concern that involves redefining the traditional facility-based model of care delivery employed in urban areas. Purpose: This paper describes the steps of a demonstration project, the Elko Telehealth Outreach Clinic.…

Background: Coordinated school health programs (CSHPs) bring together educational and community resources in the school environment. This method is particularly important in rural areas like Kansas, where resources and trained health professionals are in short supply. Rural Stafford County, Kansas, struggles with health professional shortages and…

Sweeping changes to the Medicare program embodied in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), including a new prescription drug benefit, changes in payment policies, and reform of the Medicare managed-care program, have major implications for rural health care. The most efficient mechanism for research to…

The health problems of developing nations are very different from those of the industrialized world. Simpler and more extensive care is more effective in these settings than highly specialized technology and practices imported from Western countries. One key to improving general health and stabilizing population grwoth is the prevention of…

Many rural Midwestern communities are experiencing rapid growth in Latino populations with low rates of health insurance coverage, limited financial resources, language and cultural differences, and special health care needs. We report on 2-day site visits conducted in 2001 and 2002 in 3 communities (Marshalltown, Iowa; Great Bend, Kansas; and…

The Geriatric Assessment Unit (GAU), which has proven successful in urban areas, may be a viable system for providing health care to the elderly in rural areas. GAUs engage in assessment, follow-up response to findings, education, and research. The assessment component includes, at minimum, physical health, functional ability in activities of…

This document contains testimony of witnesses in a field hearing on the future of the rural elderly. The opening statement by Representative Bob Whittaker (Kansas) notes that the aging of America creates a more difficult time for the rural elderly than their urban neighbors. Distance and low population density magnify the difficulties of…

Medical care is a problem for people who live where poverty and rurality go hand in hand. In rural areas, income is generally lower and medical services are generally poorer and not as readily accessible as in urban areas. Simultaneously, incidence of chronic illness, which limits work activity, reduces income. Programs are underway or are being…

Emphasizes the effects of poverty, lack of education, and scarce medical resources (all prevalent in rural areas) which contribute to poor health conditions and practices for rural children. Available from: U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Rm. 456 GHI Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20250. (JD)

An invitational conference brought experts and concerned, active individuals together to review and identify research and program needs for rural Texas health care. The goals of the conference were to prioritize the top five program and research activities for rural health care in the 1980's, to develop a network of communication and cooperation…

The health needs of the approximately three million migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families are clearly among the greatest needs of any population group in the country. In 1962 the Migrant Health Act became the first legislation intended to address some of the health needs of migrants. By 1976 Migrant Health Centers had served 415,000…

The Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) at Mississippi State University aims to stimulate the creation of new partnerships to enhance rural communities' capacity to address key health issues. In 1997, SRDC hosted a conference to develop the following: partnerships among land-grant universities, the health sector, and local citizens and…

Rural residents have traditionally received fewer essential health care services than their urban counterparts because of lack of coherent health care policy, institutional and regulatory impediments, and the special costs of delivering health care in a rural setting. Lack of adequate health services affects all rural residents, including…