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 Project Details
Abstract
The Veteran Administration's (VA) Office of Rural Health has recently increased efforts to combat the pandemic in rural areas. These efforts include:
Federal Veterans News (2020) While all of these resources have aided rural veterans during the past year, VA health care enrollees still face issues related to medical provider shortages, limited broadband internet access, and transportation concerns, among others. Many rural veterans also have special mobility needs and must travel long distances to receive medical care. The main objective of this research is to identify veterans affected by COVID-19 who have mobility needs living in rural areas and to quantify the cost of transportation options for meeting these needs. Secondary objectives will include analyzing the role of telehealth and how the pandemic has affected mobility and isolation among veterans in rural America. Project Deliverables |
The current pandemic has affected the lives of all Americans. Rural communities are particularly vulnerable due to lacking mobility services and the great distances one must travel for healthcare and other needs. Nearly five million veterans live in these rural communities, representing 57% of VA health care enrollees (MOAA 2020). COVID-19 cases and deaths among rural veterans have increased at a faster rate compared to veterans in urban areas according to Johns Hopkins (2020). They also found that delayed COVID-19 testing contributed to a higher rate of cases in rural areas compared to urban areas as well.