Rural Public Health

Best Practices and Preventive Models
ISBN:

978-0-8261-0894-4

(Print)

978-0-8261-0895-1

(eBook)
DOI:

10.1891/9780826108951

Published:

Abstract

This book is intended for public health practitioners, researchers, students, and other professionals who work in rural settings or who are interested in learning more about the unique aspects of public health in rural areas. It first presents some of the best-established challenges in rural public health, including medical care barriers, workforce issues, and ethics, followed by some of the specific rural-focused solutions that have been developed through faith-based initiatives and integrated care efforts. By recognizing the socioeconomic and cultural factors unique to rural areas as not only contributing to health disparities (e.g., higher smoking rates) but also as providing avenues for addressing them (e.g., faith-based initiatives), rural public health practitioners can begin to make long-needed progress in protecting the health of one fifth of the U.S. population. The book then discusses both the scope and state of prevention for specific health issues in rural settings, including mental health, substance abuse, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, HIV, environmental health, minority health, migrant farmworker health, and elderly health. The book then concludes with a summary of the future directions in rural public health to serve as a road map for moving forward.

Chapter 2: Access to Medical Care in Rural America

DOI:

10.1891/9780826108951.0002

Authors

  • Ziller, Erika

Abstract

This chapter provides a conceptual framework for understanding access to medical care and discusses many of the barriers faced by residents of rural communities. The sociodemographic characteristics of rural residents differ from those of urban populations in ways that may affect their need for medical care. A substantial body of research indicates that individuals without health insurance coverage are at substantially greater risk for poor medical care access and health outcomes. One of the more intractable access problems facing rural Americans is the relatively lower supply of medical care professionals practicing in rural versus urban settings. To address the shortage of health care professionals, the more limited financial resources of rural residents, and the geographic dispersion of rural populations, the federal government has implemented a number of programs aimed at improving access to rural medical care.