The ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center Policy Briefs mission is to conduct robust rural health services research that informs strategies and recommendations for policy makers, rural health care providers, and rural communities to improve health and well-being by improving access to health care and behavioral health services and advancing health.

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Submissions from 2026

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Overcoming Challenges with Rural-Related Health Data: Lessons Learned from Published Studies, Casey P. Balio, Margaret M. Francisco, Nicole Galler, Olivia A. Sullivan, Kate E. Beatty, Michael E. Meit, Chyanne Morrison, Christiana Keinath, and Stephanie M. Mathis

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An Examination of All-Payer Inpatient Rural Hospital Bypass, Craig D. Holden, Shena Popat, Alana Knudson, and Marilyn G. Klug

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Examining Rural Population Characteristics and Access to Care in 2022: A Study of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs), Craig Holden, Shena Popat, Rachel Van Vleet, Shalanda Henderson, Carina Hoyer, and Alana Knudson

Submissions from 2025

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A Rural Lens on Federal Block Grant Distribution, Casey P. Balio, Stephanie M. Mathis, Margaret M. Francisco, Michael Meit, and Kate E. Beatty

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Distribution of Block Grant Funding: Considerations for Rural Communities, Kate E. Beatty, Casey P. Balio, Margaret M. Francisco, Michael B. Meit, and Stephanie M. Mathis

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Are HCC Risk Scores a Reliable Health Status Indicator Across Rural and Urban Areas?, Craig D. Holden, Alana Knudson, Marilyn Klug, Samantha Augenbraun, and Shena Popat

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Rural and Urban Differences in Suicide in the United States, 2018-2021, Qian Huang, Nicole Galler, Michael Meit, and Amy Wahlquist

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Examining Differences in Rural and Urban Medicare FFS Beneficiaries’ Emergency Department Use Before and During COVID-19, Alana Knudson, Craig D. Holden, Marilyn Klug, Tricia Stauffer, and Shena Popat

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A Review of Common Limitations in Rural-Related Studies in the Peer-Reviewed Literature, Stephanie M. Mathis, Olivia A. Sullivan, Margaret M. Francisco, Nicole Galler, Kate E. Beatty, Michael B. Meit, Chyanne Morrison, and Christiana Keinath