Maine Rural Health Research Center

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About the Center

Established in 1992, the Maine Rural Health Research Center draws on the multidisciplinary faculty, research resources and capacity of the Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy within the Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine. Rural health is one of the primary areas of research and policy analysis within the Institute for Health Policy, and builds on the Institute's strong record of research, policy analysis, and policy development.

The mission of the Maine Rural Health Research Center is to inform health care policymaking and the delivery of rural health services through high quality, policy relevant research, policy analysis and technical assistance on rural health issues of regional and national significance. The Center is committed to enhancing policymaking and improving the delivery and financing of rural health services by effectively linking its research to the policy development process through appropriate dissemination strategies. The Center's portfolio of rural health services research addresses critical, policy relevant issues in health care access and financing, rural hospitals, primary care and behavioral health. The Center's core funding from the federal Office of Rural Health Policy is targeted to behavioral health.

Rural Health Research Centers

Centers funded by the federal Office of Rural Health Policy 2008-2012:

Publications & Presentations

New Publications

Hartley, D. (2011). Promoting healthy partnerships with rural communities. In E.T. Anderson, & J.M. McFarlane (Eds.), Community as Partner: Theory and Practice in Nursing. (6th ed.), (pp. 366-377). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Yousefian, A., Leighton, A., Fox, K., & Hartley, D. (2011). Understanding the rural food environment: Perspectives of low-income parents. Rural & Remote Health, 11(online), 1631

Recent Presentations

Recent Presentations at the 2012 National Rural Health Association Annual Meeting

Adolescent Alcohol Use: Do Risk and Protective Factors Explain Rural-Urban Differences? Hartley, D.
Factors Influencing the Provision of Skilled Nursing Services by Critical Access Hospitals. [Poster presentation] Coburn, A., Gale, J., & Croll, Z.
Health Insurance Stability Among Rural Children: Impact of the Children's Health Insurance Program. Ziller, E.
Linking Community Assessment and Community Benefit Strategies. Gale, J.
Rural Implications of Geographic Rating of Health Insurance Premiums. Coburn, A., Ziller, E., Croll, Z., & Kilbreth, E.
Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) at the Crossroad. Gale, J.
Rural Telemental Health Programs: Models That Enhance Access and Service Delivery. Lambert, D., Gale, J., Croll, Z., & Hansen, A.
SAFER: Standardizing Admissions for Elderly Residents. Coburn, A., Tupper, J., Gray, C., & Pearson, K.
Supporting Regional Systems of STEMI Care. Gale, J.

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What's New

Gail Nickerson joins the Expert Work Group

We are pleased to announce that Gail Nickerson, Director of Clinic Services at Adventist Health in Roseville, CA has joined the Expert Work Group for the Rural Center. Gail has worked in the field of rural health care for over twenty-five years, as a health systems consultant and an outpatient clinic administrator. She also has considerable experience working with a variety of nonprofit organizations. Gail's currently provides oversight for over thirty Rural Health Clinics in California, Oregon and Washington.

Ziller Receives Rural Health Award at NRHA

The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) awarded Erika Ziller of the Maine Rural Health Research Center the 2011 Louis Gorin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rural Health Care.

Hartley, D. (2011). Promoting healthy partnerships with rural communities. In E.T. Anderson, & J.M. McFarlane (Eds.), Community as Partner: Theory and Practice in Nursing. (6th ed.), (pp. 366-377). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.

OneMaine Health Collaborative. (2011). Statewide Community Health Needs Assessment 2010. Portland, Maine: The Center for Community and Public Health. [Contributors: David Hartley, Co-Principal Investigator, and John Gale]

Yousefian, A., Leighton, A., Fox, K., & Hartley, D. (2011). Understanding the rural food environment: Perspectives of low-income parents. Rural & Remote Health, 11(online), 1631.

Many Rural Workers Lose Health Insurance During Job Transitions

A new report and policy brief explores the impact of changes in employment status on insurance coverage for rural and urban workers, and the factors behind any differences. Key findings indicate that both rural and urban workers who change jobs or stop working are at high risk of losing their health insurance. Depending on how they are implemented, reforms to improve access to employer-sponsored coverage and increase the portability of health insurance may be particularly beneficial to rural workers. For more information on the study please contact Nath Anderson.

Muskie School of Public Service

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