Rural Health Research Grant Program Cooperative Agreement

Project Abstract Project Title: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center Applicant Organization: University of Kentucky Research Foundation Address: 500 South Limestone, 109 Kinkead Hall, Lexington, KY 40526-0001 Project Director: Tyrone F. Borders, Ph.D. Contact Phone Number: 859-218-0108 Email Address: [email protected] Program Funds Requested: $3,050,000 Overview of Need and Populations Served. The University of Kentucky (UK) Rural and Underserved Health Research Center (RUHRC) differentiates itself from other centers by concentrating its work on health care access and population health priorities among underserved rural areas and populations. Underserved rural areas and their populations face substantial economic and social challenges that impact rural health care systems, access to care, and population health. Many of these areas include large proportions of minority populations and the predominantly white but highly impoverished Appalachian region. Rural areas with limited economic, social, and health care resources have been prioritized by HRSA’s National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services. Yet, relatively little research has focused on inequities of access among highly underserved areas and populations. Proposed Services. The RUHRC will continue to expand the evidence base on timely and important health care access issues facing rural Americans overall, and especially those who are underserved, to improve the organization, financing, and delivery of health services. Within this context, the RUHRC’s 4 major thematic areas pertain to pressing rural health care issues that our investigative team is uniquely qualified to investigate: 1) Rural Substance Use and Treatment Access, 2) Rural Mental Health and Treatment Access, 3) Primary Care Physicians and Rural Health Care Access, and 4) Contemporary health policies and access among underserved areas and populations. The RUHRC’s Specific Aims Are: Aim 1. To advance understanding about facilitating access and improving population health in rural America, especially highly underserved rural areas and populations. Aim 2. To disseminate research findings and inform policy makers, health system managers, and providers about how to better facilitate access with the ultimate goal of reducing inequities in care and improving population health in rural communities. To achieve these aims, we have assembled an accomplished team of researchers with expertise in general health services research (HSR), epidemiology, political science, health economics, pharmacy outcomes and policy, and family medicine. The RUHRC will produce research findings that are national in scope by utilizing nationally representative insurance claims datasets, nationally representative survey data, and restricted-access data available through the U.S. Census Bureau Research Data Center located on campus. Our Center’s collaboration with the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) further enables our team to conduct innovative primary care research. In summary, our Center will produce original findings to inform decisions about how to improve rural health services delivery and population health in rural America, especially among underserved rural areas and populations. Borders (PI), University of Kentucky U1CRH30041 1