Alva Ferdinand, DrPH, JD

• Current Projects - (9)
• Completed Projects - (9)
• Publications - (10)

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Current Projects - (9)

• "Older, Sicker, Poorer": A Scoping Review of the Literature That Contributes to This Narrative on Rural Americans
  The investigators will conduct a scoping review of peer-reviewed literature to explore the contributive evidence that rural Americans are older, sicker, and poorer. The project will provide historical and context-setting perspectives on the factors that have led to this description and the extent to which it still holds true. The project will also identify literature gaps to inform future research.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Aging, Poverty, Rural statistics and demographics
  
• Assessing the Clinical and Financial Impact of Community Health Workers in Rural America
  This scoping review project will assess how often the existing literature has examined community health workers (CHW) in rural America and what the literature suggests about the clinical and financial impact that CHWs have in rural communities.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Allied health professionals, Health promotion and disease prevention, Social determinants of health
  
• Behavioral Health Needs and Service Utilization in Frontier and Remote Communities: A Comparative Analysis Using HCUP Data
  This project aims to identify trends and predictors of behavioral health services utilization and provider availability, specifically as they relate to Frontier and Remote (FAR) populations compared to other rural and urban populations.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Frontier health, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health
  
• Evaluating the Impact and Progress of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network Program
  HRSA established the Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network Program to expand health service capacity by supporting public health job development, training, and placement in rural and tribal communities. This project will examine how the program's 32 grantees implemented their activities and will assess the impact of their program activities.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Allied health professionals, Workforce
  
• Federal Agencies' Recent Collaboration and Innovation in Rural Cancer Control: A Model for Practice
  The investigators will conduct an examination of the multi-year effort by the National Cancer Institute to focus on rural cancer issues and its collaboration with the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. The project will explore the key pieces of evidence that served as the impetus for the emphasis on rural America in cancer control efforts.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topic: Cancer
  
• Identifying and Exploring the Settings That Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants Are Practicing in as Well as Trends in Specialization in These Groups
  Investigators will conduct a descriptive study to assess trends in specialty and population foci of nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA). They will also explore changes in the number of clinician types billing for procedures. Trends will be assessed by census region to inform FORHP on areas for which use of NPs and PAs can be bolstered.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Health services, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants
  
• Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice Laws and Their Effect on Pediatric Ambulatory Care Sensitive Condition (ACSC)-Related Emergency Department Visits
  This project aims to identify trends and predictors of pediatric ambulatory care sensitive conditions as they relate to patients in urban and rural settings whose nurse practitioners are allowed full practice under the license authority of the state board of nursing. Trends will be compared to those in jurisdictions that do not allow full practice of nurse practitioners.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Healthcare access, Legislation and regulation, Nurses and nurse practitioners
  
• The Rural Elderly Population: Demographics, Economic Status, Health Status, and Insurance Enrollment
  The project investigators will conduct a descriptive study to describe the demographics, economic status, health status, and insurance enrollment of the rural elderly population using data from nationally representative sources.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Aging, Private health insurance, Rural statistics and demographics
  
• Utilization of Hospital-Based Services for Behavioral Health Conditions
  This project will update the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's portfolio on rural residents' reliance on hospital-based care for behavioral health conditions. Data will be drawn from the State Emergency Department Databases and the National Inpatient Sample and findings will be presented in the context of patient residence along the urban-rural continuum, census region, and insurance coverage.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health
  

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Completed Projects - (9)

• Evaluating the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's Community-Based Division Funding Programs: Does the Performance Improvement and Measurement Systems (PIMS) Database Adequately Capture Impact
  This project examined three types of Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Community-Based Division programs to determine whether the Performance Improvement and Measurement Systems captures the programs' impact and goals as set forth in their respective notices of funding opportunities.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topic: Legislation and regulation
  
• Examining the Legal Landscape in Rural America: Implications for the Healthcare Workforce, Access to Care, and Population Health
  This project explored potential rural/urban differences in the prevalence of malpractice claims, clinical privilege actions, and state licensure actions among health care providers. We also examined whether variations in nurse practitioner scope of practice laws affect rural residents differentially, especially with respect to preventive care.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Allied health professionals, Health services, Legislation and regulation, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Workforce
  
• How Well are We Doing Meeting Healthy People 2020 Mortality Objectives at Midterm? Rural v. Urban Differences
  The purpose of this project was to conduct a midterm examination of urban versus rural disparities in meeting Healthy People 2020 mortality objectives for the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. utilizing existing secondary databases.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topic: Chronic diseases and conditions
  
• Malpractice Claims Among Rural and Urban Providers: Do State Telehealth Laws Make a Difference?
  This project examined trends in state telehealth laws and whether they have affected the rural and urban malpractice environments differentially. Data from the National Practitioner Data Bank were used to determine whether changes in telehealth laws are associated with increased malpractice claims and other adverse actions against providers.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Allied health professionals, Legislation and regulation, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Telehealth, Workforce
  
• Racial and Ethnic Disparities Shouldered by Rural Americans: Evidence from the Peer-Reviewed and Grey Literature on the Five Leading Causes of Death
  A systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature explored the role of racial and ethnic disparities in the five leading causes of death. The project provided historical and context setting perspectives on the contributors to the five leading causes of death, particularly as they involve the intersection of rurality and non-majority demographic identities.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Cancer, Chronic diseases and conditions
  
• The Burden of Diabetes in Rural America
  The purpose of this project was to determine rural versus urban differences in type 2 diabetes prevalence, morbidity and mortality in the U.S. Diabetes complications, disparities and associated demographics were reported. A comparison of Mexican-American border versus non-border states was also included.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Diabetes
  
• Trends and Predictors of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Light of the Opioid Crisis Along the Urban-Rural Continuum
  This project explored trends in the burden of HIV and predictors of HIV-related mortality and morbidity. The study examined how the opioid crisis has changed the nature of the burden of HIV, especially considering differential disease burdens between residents of rural areas relative to their urban counterparts.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Substance use and treatment
  
• Updating and Exploring the Burden of Potentially Avoidable Emergency Department Visits in Rural U.S. Communities
  This project updated the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's research portfolio on potentially avoidable emergency department (ED) visits among rural residents across the U.S., particularly as they relate to ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs). Data on ACSC-related ED visits were drawn from the State Emergency Department Databases, and findings were stratified by census region and patient's place along the urban-rural continuum.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Healthcare access, Medicaid and CHIP, Uninsured and underinsured
  
• Variations in Travel Burdens Associated with Access to Care Between Rural and Urban Residents
  This project focused on geographic access to medical and dental care, recognizing that travel time and distances can hinder individuals from obtaining necessary care. The study explored the travel time and distances to care for specific sub-populations and in specific geographic settings, particularly urban versus rural residence and region.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Transportation
  

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Publications - (10)