Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Factors Associated With Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy In South Central Appalachia, Florence M. Weierbach, Rebecca Adkins Fletcher, Ingrid E. Luffman, Cynthia Meyer, Janet M. Keener, Manik Ahuja, Hadii M. Mamudu

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: The newly emergent COVID-19 virus reached pandemic levels in March 2020. By the middle of August 2020, there were over 1 million deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the U.S., with those in rural areas outpacing urban counterparts. Prior to emergency approval of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine formulations, mitigation efforts addressing individual behavior were challenging. However, even with the entrance of these three new vaccines, herd immunity was not achieved in rural areas, as vaccine uptake remained low there. Although there has since been an abundance of COVID-19-related research addressing health literacy, vaccine hesitancy and overall …

Review Of Storytelling In Queer Appalachia: Imagining The Unspeakable Other, Sandra L. Cotton Dnp, Rn, Anp-Bc, Fnap, Laurie A. Theeke Phd, James Messer

Journal of Appalachian Health

The Journal of Appalachian Health is committed to reviewing published media that relates to contemporary concepts affecting the health of residents of Appalachia. Improving the health in the region of Appalachia means knowing our people as they live and thrive in communities. The book reviewed here, Storytelling in Queer Appalachia: Imagining the Unspeakable Other (Edited by Glasby, Gradin, and Ryerson), is a must read for people who wish to gain insight on the real experience of being queer in Appalachia.

Exploration Of Vaccination Attitudes Among Parents And Caregivers In A Rural Appalachian Health Clinic, Radwa Omar, Karen Hande, Natasha Mcclure

Journal of Appalachian Health

At a rural Appalachian health clinic in Kentucky, 20% of patients under 18 years were not up to date with the CDC-recommended immunization schedule. Reasons parents or caregivers chose to delay or refuse their child’s immunizations were explored using the Caregiver Vaccination Attitude Scale. High levels of trust in the healthcare provider and self-reported vaccine knowledge highlight opportunities for rural healthcare providers to apply evidence-based communication strategies to address vaccine hesitancy and promote the safety and health of the entire community.

Seeking Care At Free Episodic Health Care Clinics In Appalachia, Malerie Lazar, Sandra Thomas, Lisa Davenport

Journal of Appalachian Health

Background: People who live in rural Appalachia experience a wide variety of problems when seeking access to health care. Health care disparities continue to be one of the most complex and prevalent problems, and many barriers exist for impoverished men and women such as a lack of education, complications with health insurance, and personal distrust of healthcare providers.

Purpose: A critical gap in the literature is the unheard voice of persons in rural underserved areas. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of persons in rural Appalachia who seek healthcare services at free episodic health care clinics, …