Rural Health Toolkit

• National Governors Association State Challenges and Opportunities in Rural and Frontier Health Care Delivery
  This brief gives some background information about rural healthcare. It covers the challenges such as malpractice and provider retention. It articulates the problems faced by rural communities in maintaining their healthcare options.
  http://nga.org/Pubs/IssueBriefs/1998/980929RuralHealth.asp 

• The Rural Policy Research Institute 
  The Rural Policy Institute has many programs on rural health involving ongoing research on the potential impact of market forces, legislative policy and regulatory changes on health care provision and organization in rural areas. This site allows access to this research.
  http://www.rupri.org/programs/health/index.html 
  http://www.rupri.org/ 
  [homepage]

• Balanced Budget Act of 1997
  A summary of the provisions of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and how it proposes to affect healthcare. There are many interesting links from this page.
  http://www.hcfa.gov/init/bba/bbaintro.htm  
  
  
  
  

Critical access hospital information

• The State Rural Hospital Flexibility Program
  This site deals specifically in information for the citizens of North Dakota it answers questions for everyone that concerning the critical access hospital program.
  http://www.health.state.nd.us/ndhd/resource/oca/CahFAQ.htm  
  
  
• A Guide to Communities Considering Hospital Conversion
  Background information for community leaders dealing with hospital conversions. A guide on what needs to be considered when contemplating conversion.
  http://www.hpolicy.duke.edu/cyberexchange/conversion/gchap2.html  
  
  
• National Evaluation Plan
  Describes the methods that will be used to evaluate the Hospital Flexibility Program
  http://porh.cas.psu.edu/cahweb/CAHEvaluation.htm 
  
  

Medicare, Medicaid and CHIPS

• HCFA Beneficiaries Home Page
  Home page for federally funded health care programs. Links to other pages tells how to get more information of healthcare subjects.
  http://www.hcfa.gov/audience/benes.htm  
  
  
• Medicare Home Page
  Find information about Medicare and programs in your area including nursing home information and available insurance choices.
  http://www.medicare.gov/ 
  
           http://www.medicare.gov/Glossary/Results
           [A glossary of Medicare related terms.]
  
  
• MEDPAC (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission)
  Transcripts of meetings for the advisory board that determines Medicare Payments.
  http://www.medpac.gov/html/body_transcripts_of_public
  _meetings.html 
  
  
• Texas Medicaid Expansion for Teens
  Explains Texas program of insure teenagers through Medicaid.
  http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/childhealth/states/fs_tx.asp 
  
  
• National Medicare Education Program
  Download and print out informational materials on Medicare.
  http://www.nmep.org/campaigns/Medicare_and_You.asp 
  
  
• Medicare Managed Care
  Information about managed care plans (HMO's that offer Medicare health plans.
  http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/fed_prog/mm_care/medcare.htm 
  
  
• Senior Aware
  A site about insurance issues for older Texans brought to you by the state Insurance Commission
  http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/consumer/consum82.html#medicare 
  
  
• Medicare Supplement Insurance Handbook & Rate Guide
  Who needs Medicare supplemental insurance and information about rates and coverages from the Texas State Insurance Commission.
  http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/consumer/medsup.html  
  
  
• THE MEDICARE+CHOICE PROGRAM (MEDICARE PART C)
  Information on new Medicare options by an advocacy organization.
  http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/Medicare+Choice%20Program.htm 
  
  
  

Factsheets on rural safety from: 

     http://www.nsc.org/necas/agindus.htm 
     [Facts about farm safety]

     http://www.nsc.org/necas/agsafe.htm 
     [Facts about farm and ranch safety useful to help educate the local residents about hazards and the necessity of following safety practices.]

     http://www.nsc.org/necas/aghealth.htm 
     [ Facts about farmer health]

     http://www.nsc.org/necas/agtractr.htm 
     [Facts about tractor safety]

     http://www.nsc.org/necas/agtrain.htm 
     [Information for training for farm safety and farmmedic program.]

• Farm Safety Clearinghouse
  A clearinghouse for all types of farm safety information.
  http://www.bae.umn.edu/~fs/  
  
  
• Farm Safety 4 Just Kids
  This site gives important information and resources for child safety on the farm but evidently membership is required.
  
  http://www.fs4jk.org/resource/
  [ Safety resources for rural kids]
  
  http://www.fs4jk.org/chapters/ 
  [How to set up a chapter]
  
  
• Farm Occupational Safety Information
  Links to publications in the farm safety database. This information covers a wide range of topics.
  http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/Topic/AgrEnv/ndd/occsafe/ 
  
  
• SAFETY FOR OLDER CONSUMER HOME SAFETY CHECKLIST
  A checklist to help insure that homes are safe to help prevent injuries especially for older people
  http://www.fieldmouse.net/safetyolder.htm  
  
  

Rural dentistry

• Rural Dental Health: A Selective Bibliography
  For the administrators or people interested in learning more about rural dental care.
  http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/richs/dentbib.htm 
  
  

Other insurance information

• Texas Health Information Council Homepage
  Links to consumer information concerning Texas healthcare, particularly HMOs.
  http://www.thcic.state.tx.us/Publications.htm  
  
  
• Straight Talk on Texas HMOs: A Purchaser's Guide, HEDIS 1999 Texas Subset
  Information from the Texas Health Information Council about the performance of HMO's performance targeted at employers.
  http://www.thcic.state.tx.us/HMOReports99/StraightTalk.pdf 
  
  
• Your HMO Quality Check-up: A Consumer's Guide
  Information for consumers about HMOs in each region of Texas
  http://www.thcic.state.tx.us/HMOReports99/HMOReports99.htm 
  
  
• Low-Income Older Americans and Their Health Coverage Needs
  A fact sheet on low income Americans and their health coverage.
  http://research.aarp.org/health/fs68_low_income.html 
  
  
• Risk Pools
  Information about risk pool insurance for high risk individuals from Communicating for Agriculture a group that advocates for the rural life style
  http://www.cainc.org/riskpools.html 
  
  
• A Review of Health Insurance Underwriting Guidelines Used in Texas Summary Findings -- Part I
  Texas insurance underwriting guidelines from the Office of Public Insurance Counsel. Informative reading on how insurers are allowed to determine who they insure.
  http://www.opic.state.tx.us/health1.html 
  
  
  

Resources

• Health Promotion Information Resources
  Links for an assortment of health related topics. Links to important health agencies and information clearinghouses.
  http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/richs/healed.htm 
  
  
• Counties in Texas
  Click on the letter for your county to find information about the government of your county with important names, addresses and statistics.
  http://hpi.www.com/txcty/index.html 
  
  
• Texas Congressional Delegation
  Information about everyone in Congress from the state of Texas.
  http://hpi.www.com/congress/txindex.html 
  
  
  
• County Extension Agents
  Click on the map to find the address for your county extension agency.
  http://agprogram.tamu.edu/who/members/index.html 
  
  
• The Congressional Rural Caucus
  Keep up with events that affect you in Congress visit the site of the Rural Caucus for the Congress of the US.
  http://www.house.gov/emerson/crc/index.html 
  
   

Referral sources

• Finding Help In Texas A Directory of Information and Referral Providers Community resource referrals from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. 
  Who to contact when you have health care needs.
  http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/tirn/findhelp.htm  
  
  
  

Aging

• Resource Directory for Older People-Introduction
  Access to great resources for older people. Click on any link to gain access to extensive information on issues of concern to the aging population.
  http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov/aoa/dir/intro.html 
  http://www.nih.gov/nia/health 
  
  
• Texas Department on Aging
  Texas specific information for older people.
  http://www.tdoa.state.tx.us/