title: Strategies to meet the needs of the rural poor.
abstract: Demographic, geographic, and economic forces have influenced the treatment and supportive care of patients with cancer and their families who reside in rural areas. The trends that limit access to cancer care include an aging population, lower income, less comprehensive insurance coverage, ill-equipped and poorly staffed health care facilities, and geographic isolation from health care services. It is important to develop strategies that can be used to overcome the barriers to rural cancer care.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824-1317.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Given
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Given
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Harlan
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D005190:Family; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000592:standards; D006285:Health Planning; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007253:Information Centers; D008952:Mobile Health Units; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D011203:Poverty; D012423:Rural Health; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D012944:Social Support; D014187:Transportation of Patients