The state of Alabama was named after the river which was named after a noted southern Indian tribe whose habitat was in what is now central Alabama. Alabama covers 50,744 square miles, with a 2008 estimated population of 4,661,900 people - 1,334,536 living in rural Alabama (USDA- ERS). The state capital is Montgomery. The largest cities are Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 71.0% of the state’s population is white, 26.5% is Black/African-American, and 2.7% is of Hispanic/Latino origin (2007).
There are 102 hospitals in Alabama, 49 of which are located in rural areas (North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, 2007). The state has 3 hospitals currently identified by the Flex Monitoring Team as Critical Access Hospitals (April, 2009). There are 70 Rural Health Clinics in Alabama (CMS, 2009), and 16 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 151 sites in the state (Kaiser, 2008). 13.6% of Alabama residents lack any health insurance (Kaiser, 2006-2007).
According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for all Alabama residents in 2007 was $32,419 although rural per-capita income lagged at $27,754. Estimates from 2008 specify that a poverty rate of 18.6% exists in rural Alabama, compared with 14.8% in urban areas of the state. Data from 2000 finds that 30.7% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 22.2% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma. The unemployment rate in rural Alabama is 6.0%, while in urban Alabama it is 4.7% (USDA-ERS, 2008).
For a national comparison, please see an overview of the United States.
Data Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau: State & County QuickFacts
USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets
Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Flex Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List
Alabama State Data Center
Alabama Center for Health Statistics
Organizations
Alabama Black Belt Action Commission
State government
A regional initiative involving the Black Belt counties of Alabama (Bullock, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, and Wilcox) that is driven by volunteers who want to make a difference in their community.
Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA)
State government
Offers economic support services in the state of Alabama. Divisions include: Communications and Information; Office of Water Resources; Energy, Weatherization and Technology; Financial Services; Law Enforcement and Traffic Safety; Office of Workforce Development; and Surplus Property. It also contains a Grant Resources Center.
Alabama Department of Human Resources
State government
Works to partner with communities to promote family stability and provide for the safety and self-sufficiency of vulnerable Alabamians.
Alabama Department of Human Resources: Child Support Enforcement
State government
Serves as a joint Federal/State effort to help families establish paternity (when necessary), obtain orders for payment of child support, and secure compliance with child support court orders.
Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH)
State government
Works closely with the community to preserve and protect the public's health, to provide caring, quality services and serve the people of Alabama by assuring conditions in which they can be healthy.
Alabama Department of Public Health: Office of Minority Health
State government
Facilitates local and state level partnerships to address health disparities in Alabama.
Alabama Department of Public Health: Office of Primary Care and Rural Health
State government
Facilitates and supports activities which improve access to primary medical care throughout Alabama and promotes the health of rural residents, with special concern for medically underserved populations.
Alabama Hospital Association (AlaHA)
State/regional organization
Assists member hospitals in effectively serving the health care needs of Alabama, through advocacy, representation, education and service. Members of the association include primarily hospitals and health systems, as well as other companies and organizations related to health care.
Alabama Rural Action Commission (ARAC)
State government
A statewide initiative that is driven by volunteers who want to make a difference in their community in order to make Alabama an even better place to live.
Alabama Rural Health Association (ARHA)
State/regional organization
Strives to preserve and enhance the health of the rural citizens of Alabama.
Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)
Federal government
Supports economic and social development in the Appalachian Region. Appalachia is a 200,000-square-mile region from the spine of the Appalachian Mountains in Southern New York to Northern Mississippi. The ARC program's region includes parts of 13 states; all of West Virginia and parts of twelve other states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Community Action Association of Alabama
State/regional organization
In order to reduce poverty in its community, the Community Action Agency works to better focus available local, state, private, and federal resources to assist low-income individuals and families to acquire useful skills and knowledge, gain access to new opportunities and achieve economic self-sufficiency.
Community Resource Group (CRG)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works in rural areas to expand the opportunities for families to build assets, improve their lives, and strengthen their communities.
Delta Regional Authority (DRA)
Federal government
Consists of a federal-state partnership serving a 240-county/parish area in an eight-state region, designed to remedy severe and chronic economic distress by stimulating economic development and fostering partnerships that will have a positive impact on the region's economy.
HUD Community Development Block Grants: Alabama
Federal government
Contact information for the State CDBG program. Provides funding for community development projects.
National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Southeastern/Atlantic Region (NN/LM-SE/A)
State/regional organization
Works to improve access to health information for health care providers, librarians and the public in Alabama, the District of Columbia,
Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia.
Southern Rural Health Care- Alabama
Nonprofit/Foundation
Provides health care services in almost all areas of rural Alabama. It is a nonprofit organization.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Alabama
Federal government
Works to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing. The HUD state office provides information about HUD housing programs and local contacts for the state.
University of Alabama Rural Health Institute for Clinical and Translational Science
Academic/Research
Performs ongoing research projects focusing on current health issues that affect people living in rural areas.
USDA Rural Development Alabama State Office
Federal government
Committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. The Rural Development State Office provides information about Rural Development programs and applications for financial assistance.
Volunteers of America Southeast (VOASE)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Provides programs and opportunities for individual and community involvement, including a faith-based and community resource center. Works to serve people along the Alabama-Mississippi-Georgia Gulf Coast who are hungry, homeless, and otherwise in need of assistance. Offers programs for children, chronic mental illness, hard of hearing, community enhancement, elderly, housing, and substance abuse.
Tools
Alabama Health Centers Data
Web site
Provides access to information on Federally Qualified Health Centers for the state. Includes a map of FQHC locations, as well as information on the populations served by health centers, services provided, staff, patient visits, costs of care, and use of electronic health information.
Alabama Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile
Web site
Highlights compiled 2000 data on levels of employment, projected growth and key environmental factors that affect demand for health care. Details for medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, mental health and aides.
Alabama KIDS COUNT Data Center (KCDC)
Web site
Provides data on child well-being for the state.
Alabama QuickFacts
Web site
Basic demographic and economic statistics for the state, with links to county-level data.
Alabama Rural Health Association Publications
Web site
Provides links to a wide range of Alabama Rural Health publications, including detailed County Health Status Indicator Reports for individual counties.
Alabama Rural Health Links
Web site
Provides web links to Alabama and national resources related to rural health.
Alabama State Health Facts
Database
The latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. Individual state profiles and 50-state comparisons.
ERS State Fact Sheet: Alabama
Web site
Lists statistics on population, educational attainment, employment, income, farm characteristics, and farm financial indicators for the state.
Kid One: Transporting Children to Better Health
Web site
Provides children and expectant mothers, that are considered to be transportation disadvantaged, access to health care services throughout the state of Alabama.
MedlinePlus Go Local
Web site
Offers information about health services in local geographic areas, including hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, support groups, health screening providers and many others.
National Healthcare Quality Report State Snapshot: Alabama
Web site
Health care quality report for the state, based on the National Healthcare Quality Report.
State Profiles- Alabama: Health Information Technology (HIT)
Web site
Profiles the state’s health information technology (HIT) issues. Contains sections on demographics, HIT legislation, telemedicine, Health Information Exchanges (HIE) & Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO), grant funded HIT projects, and HIT survey information.
See also: Resources for All States: Tools Documents, Reports and Other Publications
Alabama: Status of Primary Healthcare in Selected Counties
Presents information on primary and sub-specialty care being provided in Alabama's rural counties along with information on facilities, populations served, and the age of the county's primary care workforce.
Date: 2007
Around the Country: Alabama Doctor Prevails Through Fire and Rain
Author(s): Candi Helseth
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Highlights Dr. Regina Benjamin, who has kept the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in Bayou La Batre, Ala., running despite devastation from two hurricanes and a fire.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor Issue Fall
Date: 11 / 2007
Around the Country: Alabama Horses Helping People Heal
Author(s): Thomas D. Rowley
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Discusses the Serendipity Therapeutic Horse Farm in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor Issue Spring
Date: 04 / 2005
Black Belt Fact Book
Sponsoring organization: University of Alabama Rural Health Institute for Clinical and Translational Science
Presents important Alabama information on such subjects as population, vital statistics, crime, mental health, health care practitioners, health care facilities, education, income, poverty, and housing for Alabama's Black Belt counties.
Date: 2002
Demographic and Economic Profile: Alabama
Author(s): Kathleen K. Miller
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Discusses demographic and economic data including population, race, education, age, poverty, income, and more. Includes maps and graphics.
Date: 02 / 2009
Minds Matter: Making the Connection Between Mental Health and Community Well-Being
Sponsoring organization: Foundation for the Mid-South
Describes the mental health status of people living in both rural and urban Missouri, Louisiana, and Alabama. Summarizes how some of their health centers implement wholistic approaches to overcome barriers and improve the mental wellness of individuals, and thus, better community wellness. Information is based on data from 2006-2009.
Perceptions Regarding Electronic Health Record Implementation Among Health Information Management Professionals in Alabama: A Statewide Survey and Analysis
Author(s): Shannon H. Houser, Lucretia A. Johnson
Summarizes results of a study that assessed the factors, benefits, and barriers associated with implementing an electronic health records system in Alabama hospitals.
Date: 05 / 2008
Rural Dental Practice: A Tale of Four States
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, Denise M. Lishner, L. Gary Hart
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Reports the findings of a study investigating rural dentist issues, such as demography, training, practice characteristics, staff, and job satisfaction, in Alabama, California, Maine, and Missouri.
Date: 03 / 2006
Rural Versus Urban Alabama Comparisons
Sponsoring organization: Alabama Rural Health Association
Presents information comparing Alabama's rural and urban counties on numerous important healthcare-related subjects. County specific information is included along with information on Alabama's Appalachian, Delta, and Black Belt counties.
Date: 2007
Small Business Profile: Alabama
Sponsoring organization: Small Business Administration
Profile of the state's economy, covering the number of firms, industry composition, small business income, banking, women and minority business ownership, and employment.
Date: 2008
State Profiles - Alabama: Reforming the Health Care System
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Detailed profile of the state's health care system. Covers demographics, expenditures and financing, health status, utilization and quality of services, health care providers, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance coverage, and key trends.
Date: 12 / 2005
See also: Resources for All States: Documents Success Stories
Rural Assistance Program for Churches and Schools
The Rural Assistance Program for Churches and Schools (RAPCS) will provide access to health care for disadvantaged populations in Green, Sumter, and Marengo Counties. These counties are ranked among the poorest in the State and the Nation.
East Central Mental Health-Mental Retardation, Inc.
East Central Mental Health-Mental Retardation, Inc., has initiated a partnership of community agencies committed to the development and implementation of a comprehensive, countywide health risk prevention and outreach project.
Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement Program
The goal of this project is to increase the quality and years of life for individuals of the target population of under and uninsured residents of Talladega County, Alabama with chronic diseases of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Diabetes and/or Hypertension.
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