Policy Brief: Use and Performance Variations in U.S. Rural Emergency Departments: Implications for Improving Care Quality and Reducing Costs
Rural areas have a higher prevalence of subpopulations (younger, low income, and uninsured) that use the Emergency Department (ED) for non-emergent purposes than urban areas. ZIP Code areas with fewer than five primary care physicians per 10,000 had populations that were more likely to use those EDs for non-emergent conditions.

North Dakota Hospital Assessment: 2014 Chartbook
This Chartbook presents the findings of the 2014 survey of hospitals in North Dakota. This resource does not provide analysis or discussion of the results, but instead, offers a graphic discourse on the current hospital environment in the state. Output includes aggregate data stratified by geographic region (Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest) and hospital type (CAH or tertiary).

North Dakota Oral Health Report: Needs and Proposed Models, 2014
Needs, outcomes, findings, and stakeholder recommendations from the 2014 assessment of oral health need and policy recommendations for North Dakota.

North Dakota Oral Health Report: Needs and Proposed Models, 2014 Executive Summary
Executive Summary for the full North Dakota Oral Health Report. Reviews the findings from the 2014 assessment of oral health in North Dakota.

The 2014 Update of the Rural-Urban Chartbook
The Chartbook presents information on population demographics, health-related behaviors and risk factors, age-specific and cause-specific mortality, access to care, health insurance coverage, mental health, and other health-related topics for U.S. residents across levels of rural and urban status. The data presented in this new Chartbook were collected prior to implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), providing baseline measurements for key aspects of health from which to measure future ACA-associated changes. Individual data tables are available in an Excel file.

Policy Brief: Rural-Urban Disparities in Heart Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming about 600,000 lives annually. This policy brief highlights rural-urban disparities in heart disease and focuses on three measures: 1) death rates for ischemic heart disease (IHD) among persons 20 years of age and older, 2) obesity among persons 18 years of age and older, and 3) physical inactivity during leisure time among persons 18 years of age and older.

Lessons Learned in Testing the Feasibility of Evaluating Transfer of Training to an Operations Setting
Article explores the feasibility, identifies challenges, and offers solutions to evaluation transfer of training to the operations setting. Eight lessons are shared including the need to design training courses to align to an operation-based exercise.

Oral Health in Native American Elderly
The National Resource Center on Native American Aging has released a fact sheet using nationwide data from "Identifying our Needs: A Survey of Elders." Includes information on dental work needed and overall oral health indicators.