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Rural Health Information Hub

Other Case Studies and Collections of Program Examples

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.

Rural Transportation Best Practice: Transportation for Individuals with Chronic Care Conditions
Highlights a program called Mountain Empire Older Citizens (MEOC), which is a transportation assistance service for individuals with chronic conditions in Big Stone Gap, VA. Details the demographics of the town, as well as the structure of the program.
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
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Promising Practice: Rural Health Summits Bringing People Together Across Vermont to Exchange Ideas
Describes how the Vermont State Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (VT SORH/PC) and leaders from rural hospitals and local public health districts in Vermont co-convened several Rural Health Summits held around the state to discuss ways to share resources, information, and identify opportunities for collaboration.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Live Healthy, Live Well, 'Live Algoma'
An overview of a rural community (Algoma, Wisconsin) coming together to set goals and work on projects focused on health and wellness. Projects included modifying an old bank to develop an alternative school called Pathfinder, building the Algoma Community Wellness Center, and collaborating with local industries and schools to create new learning opportunities for students. Algoma is a recipient of the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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A Community Holding Hands to Bridge its Divide
Describes the actions taken and programs developed by the residents of Garrett County, Maryland, in response to the economic, cultural, and health challenges they face. Working together, the Garrett County residents have been able to provide scholarships to every high school graduate to attend community college for free, develop 700 affordable, low-income, mixed-income, and workforce housing units, and more. Garrett County is a recipient of the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Innovations in Rural Health System Development: Federally Qualified Health Center Initiatives
Reports on Maine's Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Discusses strategies for workforce recruitment and retention, serving high-need patient populations, addressing critical community needs, and providing services that address the social determinants of health. Provides various examples of programs from across the state.
Author(s): Sara Kahn-Troster, Amanda Burgess, Andrew Coburn
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Catherine Cutler Institute, Maine Health Access Foundation
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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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Promoting a Nutritious Diet Inside and Outside the Hospital
Highlights a rural Vermont hospital's efforts to promote healthier eating habits both inside and outside the hospital by locally sourcing food, encouraging participation in their "Ton of Tomatoes" project, and processing produce to help food-insecure community members. Discusses efforts of other hospitals promoting healthy diets, including removing unhealthy cafeteria meal options and promoting community gardens.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Promising Practice: Helping Rural Hawaii THRIVE
Illustrates how community forums sponsored by the Hawaii Public Health Institute (HPHI) and supported by the Hawaii State Office of Primary Care and Rural Health (HI OPCRH) provide a venue for sharing "stories of health" to improve health and wellness in the state. Describes the THRIVE (Tools for Health Resilience in Vulnerable Environments) method used to develop multi-sector partnerships, particularly the opportunity to collectively focus on health equity, facilitate an understanding of social determinants of health, and establish a foundation for future action.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Medical-Legal Partnership Addresses Social Determinants of Health
Explores how FirstHealth of the Carolinas, a private, nonprofit healthcare network based in Pinehurst, North Carolina, reduced emergency department utilization and hospital readmission rates systemwide through the use of transitional care clinics (TCCs) and medical-legal partnerships (MLPs). Highlights how addressing non-medical factors can affect health outcomes.
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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An Assessment of Mobile and Portable Dentistry Programs to Improve Population Oral Health
Describes configurations of portable and mobile dental programs including models and applications, discusses targeted populations, details variations in regulations by state, and examines outcomes of preventive interventions in underserved areas. Includes case studies of 7 programs initiated to improve access in underserved populations or in rural areas.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Margaret Langelier, Jean Moore, Rachel Carter, et al.
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Oral Health Workforce Research Center
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