Alyssa Fritz, MPH, RD, CLC

University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center

Division of Health Policy and Management
University of Minnesota
2221 University Ave. SE
Suite 350
Minneapolis, MN 55414

Current Projects - (2)
Publications - (10)

Current Projects - (2)

Monitoring Obstetric Unit Closures and Measuring Closure Impacts to Support Rural Maternity Care Access
This project will create a public health data infrastructure with annually updated information on the loss of hospital-based obstetric services, merging policy-relevant hospital and county characteristics with transportation and geographic data, and measuring trends over time in the loss of hospital-based obstetric care.
Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Maternal health, Women
Neonatal Care at Rural Hospitals: Describing Access, Closures and Levels of Childbirth-Related Care
This project will describe access to childbirth-related care for families living in rural and urban communities; it will document access to neonatal care and the levels of that care, describe rural counties that have lost access to neonatal care, and identify rural counties without access to either obstetric or neonatal services.
Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Children and adolescents, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Maternal health, Quality, Women

Publications - (10)

2025

Rural/Urban Differences in Health, Health Care Use, and Barriers to Care for Postpartum and Parenting Women, 2006-2018
Policy Brief
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 08/2025
The goal of this analysis was to describe rural/urban differences in health, health care utilization, and barriers to care for reproductive-age females, with specific focus on those who are parents of young children (ages 1-4) and those who are postpartum (gave birth in the last year).
Resources for Measuring Rurality in Research on Maternity Care
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 01/2025
The primary objective of this brief is to explore the complexities inherent in defining rurality in maternal health research. In addition, this brief aims to provide insights into how different measures of rurality influence research outcomes, with the goal of informing best practices in maternal health research.

2024

Midwifery Care at Rural Hospitals in Montana and California
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 12/2024
These case studies describe how two hospitals that serve rural U.S. communities incorporate midwifery care into their services.
Variation in Elder Abuse State Statutes by State Level of Rurality
Policy Brief
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 12/2024
This policy brief examines elements of state-level elder abuse statutes' definitions and reporting requirements to investigate potential differences in these policies by state rurality that could influence one's understanding of elder abuse among rural and urban areas.
Triad Program Perspectives on Preventing and Addressing Elder Abuse in Rural Communities
Policy Brief
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 11/2024
Elder abuse is a widespread issue and rural communities face unique risks to preventing, identifying, and addressing it. This brief shares results from key informant interviews with representatives of rural Triads (multi-sectoral community-based partnerships that address elder abuse) to illuminate rural-specific dimensions of this issue.
Information for Rural Stakeholders About Access to Maternity and Obstetric Care: A Community-Relevant Synthesis of Research
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 09/2024
This document aims to inform rural stakeholders about challenges related to access to and quality of hospital-based childbirth care in rural U.S. communities.
Loss of Hospital-Based Obstetric Services in Rural Counties in the United States, 2010-2022
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 07/2024
The purpose of this infographic is to show the loss of hospital-based obstetric services in rural counties from 2010 to 2022, and how this differs by rural county type (micropolitan vs. noncore).
Rural-Urban Differences in Midwifery Care During Childbirth in the U.S.
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 07/2024
This infographic provides a snapshot of rural-urban differences in midwife-attended births, including changes over time as access to rural obstetric care declined and severe maternal morbidity and mortality rose across the United States.
Risk Factors for Poor Health Among U.S. Older Adults in Rural and Urban Areas: Injury, Food Insecurity, and Lack of Social and Emotional Support
Policy Brief
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 06/2024
This policy brief examines three risk factors for poor health outcomes among older adults: injury, food insecurity, and lack of social and emotional support by rural-urban residence.

2023

Rural/Urban Differences in Rates and Predictors of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse Screening Among Pregnant and Postpartum United States Residents
Journal Article
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 08/2023
This paper uses the 2016-2020 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data to describe rates and predictors of perinatal intimate partner violence (IPV) and rates and predictors of not being screened for abuse among rural and urban IPV victims who gave birth.