Daily Yonder

shows a pair of gloved hands handling a syringe of COVID vaccine, there's a sign beyond the hands that reads "MODERNA" in large letters

Poll finds rural residents more hesitant to get vaccinated

January 16, 2021 by Daily Yonder

Poll finds rural residents more hesitant to get vaccinated - North Carolina Health News

About a third of rural residents are reluctant get to vaccinated, while about a quarter of metropolitan residents are.

by Tim Marema, The Daily Yonder January 8, 2021 Rural residents are more hesitant than their metropolitan counterparts to get a COVID-19 vaccination, even though rural areas have higher rates of infections and deaths from the coronavirus, according to a new report. About a third (35%) of people living in rural areas said they probably […]

illustration shows birds emerging from someone's head, as a symbol for mental health issues, COVID

Report: 20 percent of COVID-19 patients develop mental health issues

November 22, 2020 by Daily Yonder

Report: 20 percent of COVID-19 patients develop mental health issues - North Carolina Health News

For rural patients already struggling with access to mental health care, the long term effects of the pandemic could mean even greater barriers in receiving the help they need.

By Liz Carey Daily Yonder As COVID cases rise in rural areas, a new report found that one in five COVID-19 patients develop mental illness within 90 days of recovery. That could spell trouble for rural residents who already have a harder time getting access to mental health services. The report, published this week in […]

map shows distribution of rural people with disabilities

Rural people with disabilities fight to retain independence during pandemic

September 7, 2020 by Daily Yonder

Rural people with disabilities fight to retain independence during pandemic - North Carolina Health News

COVID-19 has pushed independent living centers to adapt to serve their clients with disabilities, who face a wide range of health risks and service disruptions from the coronavirus.

By Jan Pytalski Daily Yonder From mental health strain caused by social isolation to life threatening circumstances, people with disabilities living in rural America are exposed to higher-than-average risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re a population of higher risk individuals,” said Sierra Royster, the youth coordinator for the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living, […]

Rural hospitals that closed may reopen to deal with COVID-19, shown here.

Could shuttered rural hospitals reopen to treat pandemic?

April 5, 2020 by Daily Yonder

Could shuttered rural hospitals reopen to treat pandemic? - North Carolina Health News

Reopening closed rural hospitals could be faster and more efficient than building temporary hospitals, says a rural healthcare advocate. But the cancellation of normal hospital services is straining the financial resources of rural facilities even more.

Liz Carey The Daily Yonder Repurposing rural hospitals that have closed in recent years could serve as a safety valve for urban hospitals if they are overrun with coronavirus patients. An official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mentioned shuttered rural hospitals during a March 23 presentation on the rural healthcare response […]

shows an empty emergency room trauma bay, with gurneys and equipment ready for patients to arrive, perhaps at a rural hospital

Rural hospital closures lead to higher mortality rates

August 30, 2019 by Daily Yonder

Rural hospital closures lead to higher mortality rates - North Carolina Health News

A new study from the University of Washington compared outcomes after closures in urban areas with closures in rural areas.

By Bill Bishop Daily Yonder When a hospital closes in an urban area, mortality rates don’t change. But when a rural hospital shuts its doors, according to a new study, mortality rates increase nearly six percent. The new study helps clear up a question about the impact of hospital closures on health. Earlier studies at […]

map of the U.S. shows which counties have more offerings for health insurance

Complex factors create lack of health insurance competition in rural areas

August 14, 2019 by Daily Yonder

Complex factors create lack of health insurance competition in rural areas - North Carolina Health News

If policymakers use market-based approaches to solve health insurance access problems, they need a better understanding of how rural markets work, says one researcher.

By Liz Carey Daily Yonder A lack of competition among health insurers in rural areas has reduced the ability of market-based approaches to increase insurance enrollment, a new study says. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 sought to improve the health-insurance access in part through fostering more competition among insurers. But rural markets have less […]

shows counties, some light to signify no cases and some dark to signify a higher case rate

Health officials battle increase in rural STD rates

June 19, 2019 by Daily Yonder

Health officials battle increase in rural STD rates - North Carolina Health News

Sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis can spread quickly in rural areas, where access to medical screening is harder to find and fewer people are aware of the problem.

By Liz Carey Daily Yonder An increase in sexually transmitted diseases across the country isn’t as surprising to health professionals as is the insight that rates of STDs are rising more in rural areas than in urban areas. Health officials are working to educate rural residents about the dangers of unprotected sex and to make […]

Shows trend lines going downwards overall for metro areas, but trending upwards for "noncore" a k a rural

Diabetes mortality gap widens for rural americans

May 9, 2019 by Daily Yonder

Diabetes mortality gap widens for rural americans - North Carolina Health News

Mortality from diabetes is decreasing in metropolitan America while the rate remains relatively unchanged in rural areas. Researchers aren’t sure of the cause.

By Tim Marema Daily Yonder The life expectancy of Americans with diabetes is diverging based on geography, with metropolitan areas seeing improvement in mortality rates while rural areas do not. The result is that “rural America is being left behind” in efforts to reduce deaths caused by diabetes, the study says. “As recently as 1999, […]

shows opioid pills through the bottom of a pill container

Injured workers in rural areas more likely to receive opioid Rx

March 4, 2019 by Daily Yonder

Injured workers in rural areas more likely to receive opioid Rx - North Carolina Health News

Injured miners and construction workers are in the occupations most likely to receive an opioid prescription, the study shows. Injured workers living in “rural” or “very rural” areas were up to 25 percent more likely than urban injured workers to receive opioid painkillers.

By Liz Carey Daily Yonder Injured workers in rural areas are more likely to receive prescriptions for opioids, a new study shows. The study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) looked at how a worker’s age, injury, industry and location impacted how likely they were to be given prescriptions for opioids. WCRI is an independent, non-profit research institute that looks at workers’ […]

red barn on a hillside, next to a field of grass. It's an analogy for rural health or the rural-urban divide.

Drug Addiction Tops List Of Rural Concerns

October 22, 2018 by Daily Yonder

Drug Addiction Tops List Of Rural Concerns - North Carolina Health News

More rural people in the United States list opioids and other drugs as the biggest problem their communities face, according to a new randomized poll of nonmetropolitan residents. But within their families, financial worries are the biggest issue.

By Tim Marema Daily Yonder A quarter of rural Americans say that drug addiction is the biggest problem their communities face, according to a new poll of rural residents. A lot of that assessment is based on first-hand information. About half of rural residents say they personally know someone, like a friend or family member, who has struggled […]

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