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Rural Health Information Hub

Other Case Studies and Collections of Program Examples: Behavioral health

In addition to RHIhub's Rural Health Models and Innovations rural program examples, you may also want to browse other case studies, databases, and websites with collections of health programs.

Each resource listed below uses its own criteria for selecting program examples, which may range from programs known to be effective based on research to anecdotal accounts. In each resource, you may want to review information on the level of evidence required for a program's inclusion.

May include non-rural programs that could be applicable to rural health delivery.

Tackling the Opioid Crisis in a Rural Community
Discusses a partnership between a rural hospital physician and the director of a community counseling center to establish a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction in rural Maine. Presents the program's support structure, as well as the advantages of having an integrated treatment approach.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Online Screening Helps Michigan Men Gauge Mental Health
Features the Healthy Men Michigan campaign, which uses an anonymous online survey to evaluate the risk of depression and suicide among men in the state. Focuses on working-age Michigan men and on reaching those in male-dominated industries, using mental health messaging targeted to this audience.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Promising Practice: Virginia SORH Taking Aim at Opioid Overdose
Illustrates how the Virginia State Office of Rural Health (VA SORH) and its partners are focusing their attention on the opioid epidemic in rural areas of the state by expanding treatment, and training lay rescuers to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose and administer naloxone when necessary.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Vermont Care Network Advocates for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Agencies
Highlights the work of the Vermont Care Network, which supports 16 non-profit agencies that provide behavioral health and developmental disability services in the state. Discusses cross-sector collaboration and integration of mental health, substance use, and developmental disability services with primary care.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Stem the Tide: Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
Presents a report on various methods hospitals and health systems can use to address the opioid epidemic. Discusses non-opioid pain management, prescribing practices, and treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs), among other topics. Highlights several rural programs and examples throughout.
Date: 2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Supporting the Development of Young Children in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities Who Are Affected by Alcohol and Substance Exposure
Policy statement providing recommendations that promote the early development of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children who have been exposed to alcohol and substance abuse during pregnancy or early childhood. Discusses best practices and reviews promising strategies that tribal early childhood programs can use to support children's development and wellness. Also points out health disparities that exist between tribes and the general U.S. population, and uses case studies to show where success has been achieved in reducing the destructive effects of substance abuse.
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Rural Promising Practice Issue Brief: Training Community Clergy Partners to Increase Access to Care for Rural Veterans
Presents a toolkit and web-based module for the development, implementation, and evaluation of a mental health training program for clergy to help rural veterans. Discusses in-person and web-based training methods implemented in the pilot program. Includes outcomes regarding the increase of access to mental healthcare and clinical impact for rural veterans, among other factors.
Additional links: Overview
Author(s): James Goalder, Kristen Wing, Eric Crawford, Keith Ethridge
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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Pennsylvania Mobile Team Addresses Substance Use Disorders
Features the Addiction Recovery Mobile Outreach Team (ARMOT) program, which supports patients in the recovery process and educates medical staff on addiction and recovery. ARMOT is a collaboration of three hospitals, two substance abuse providers, and the Armstrong-Indiana-Clarion Drug and Alcohol Commission.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Project ECHO's Complex Care Initiative: Building Capacity to Help "Superutilizers" in Underserved Communities
Describes a case study from the University of New Mexico's Project ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) program, which uses telehealth to support primary care clinicians in underserved areas. Focuses on a project targeting Medicaid beneficiaries with substance abuse and mental health issues, with details on two primary care teams being supported, including one in a rural New Mexico community.
Author(s): Martha Hostetter, Sarah Klein, Douglas McCarthy
Date: 08/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Integrated Care in a Frontier Community
Examines the Southeast Health Group (SHG) in La Junta, Colorado, which coordinates physical and behavioral health using patient-centered, wellness-based care coordination to empower patients and promote self-directed care. Focuses on hiring providers who share SHG's philosophy of care, using community resources, and engaging peer support specialists.
Date: 07/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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