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Rural residents in underserved areas face many barriers to health services, including colonoscopies for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, but rural healthcare providers may assist patients navigating these challenges due to familiarity with local contexts. In 2017 to 2018, we interviewed clinical practitioners and staff (n = 40) at 13 primary care and gastroenterology locations across rural Southern Illinois. We used a semi-structured interview guide that addressed system, provider, and patient levels including domains related to barriers, facilitators, and needs for intervention. This article focuses on 3 main elements related to distance and transportation that emerged from inductive coding. First, providers described long distance travel for care as normalized but not necessarily preferable. Second, they identified and described distance-related challenges specific to CRC screening, and third, providers discussed strategies, mostly related to transportation, they use to navigate those challenges. Finally, they suggested a variety of broader solutions to reduce distance and transportation barriers to screening. Overall, distance to care remains a challenge to increasing CRC screening and contributes to disparities in rural communities. To increase early detection and reduce rural cancer disparities, efforts to increase screening and follow-up must address ways to help patients and providers navigate this distance within their local communities and contexts.

BACKGROUND: Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and the staff who support them were largely in‐person during the 2021‐2022 school year, despite their continued vulnerability to infection with SARS‐CoV‐2. This qualitative study aimed to understand continued perceptions of weekly SARS‐CoV‐2 screening testing of students and staff amidst increased availability of vaccinations. METHODS: Twenty‐three focus groups were held with school staff and parents of children with IDD to examine the perceptions of COVID‐19 during the 2021‐2022 school year. Responses were analyzed using a directed thematic content analysis approach. RESULTS: Four principal themes were identified: strengths and opportunities of school‐ and district‐level mitigation policies; experience at school with the return to in‐person learning; facilitators and barriers to participation in SARS‐CoV‐2 screening testing; and perceptions of SARS‐CoV‐2 testing in light of vaccine availability. IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY: Despite the increased availability of vaccines, school staff and families agreed that saliva‐based SARS‐CoV‐2 screening testing helped increase comfort with in‐person learning as long as the virus was present in the community. CONCLUSION: To keep children with IDD in school during the pandemic, families found SARS‐CoV‐2 screening testing important. Clearly communicating school policies and mitigation strategies facilitated peace of mind and confidence in the school district. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]