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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community engagement and volunteerism

Rural Child Hunger Summit 2021: Collaborative Planning and Community Engagement Strategies
A recorded webinar that discusses strategies to end child hunger in rural areas, utilizing community-focused strategies, such as collaborative planning, meal delivery, food access in healthcare settings, sustainable planning, the intersection of race/ethnicity and food insecurity, and more.
Additional links: Collaborative Planning and Community Engagement Strategies to Address Rural Child Hunger - Slide Deck, Emerging Strategies in Food Access in Health Care Settings - Slide Deck, Fresh Ideas for Sustainable Programming in Rural Communities - Slide Deck, Inequity in Food Systems: The Impacts of Whiteness and COVID-19 on Food Insecurity, Spotlight on Emergency Meals-to-You: Reimaging Summer Meals in Rural Areas - Slide Deck
Author(s): Mia Medina, Michelle Troup, Evette Tovar-Lugo, Kathy Holt
Date: 04/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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The Hospital as a Convener in Rural Communities
Examines the traditional and non-traditional role of rural hospitals as conveners that support community health initiatives and population health. Discusses examples of approaches used by rural and urban serving hospitals from Michigan and Virginia. Offers steps for hospitals on becoming a convener, and suggests community stakeholders for forming partnerships to improve health and well-being in their communities.
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Critical Access Hospital in Oregon Uses Advisory Council and Trainings to Improve Cultural Competency
Features St. Charles Madras, a Critical Access Hospital in Oregon. Highlights how it improved care for American Indian and Latino patients by creating a Patient Family Advisory Council, implementing cultural competency trainings, and installing new artwork representing its community.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Quality Water from Every Tap: Proceedings of a Workshop - in Brief
Summarizes topics covered at a workshop held November 21-22, 2019, including discussion on water quality challenges and suggestions for improvement. Focuses on areas that may lack sufficient resources, such as rural and tribal communities.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Division on Earth and Life Studies
Date: 02/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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A Just Recovery for Rural Equity in Wisconsin
Provides information for advancing health equity, with respect to the impact of COVID-19, for rural populations in Wisconsin. Discusses topics fundamental to supporting rural health equity including: healthcare access, broadband and infrastructure, food and agriculture, job security, and availability of social services. Identifies proven policies and practices that can be implemented at the local and state level.
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
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Rural Renewal: Three Success Stories, Capturing Prosperity/Health
Showcases success stories from 3 rural communities that sought to address local health concerns, such as inadequate prenatal care and access to healthy food, and increase access to healthcare and related services. Describes community-based initiatives implemented in Nebraska, New Mexico, and South Carolina.
Author(s): Phillip L. Polakoff, Dennis Berens, David Angelson
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: A Healthier WE
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1,232 Doses of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Distributed at Coliseum in Dalhart, Texas
Reports on a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in rural Texas that distributing vaccines to residents in a tri-county area, while helping participants to promote the event on social media.
Author(s): Joyce Bezner
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Pennsylvania Municipal Officials' Views on COVID-19 Vaccine and Pennsylvania's Response to the Pandemic
Results of an email survey of 1,009 elected officials, to gather information about their attitudes toward vaccines and the Pennsylvania state government's response to COVID-19. Features statistics on the percentages of officials likely to get vaccinated, who felt the state's response had been effective, and who had recently attended municipal meetings in virtual, in-person, or hybrid formats, with breakdowns by rural or urban location.
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Models for Population Health Improvement by Health Care Systems and Partners: Tensions and Promise on the Path Upstream: Proceedings of a Workshop
Proceedings from a public workshop held on September 19, 2019, exploring higher levels of action to improve health, such as changing laws, policies, and regulations, to improve the community conditions for health. Describes efforts of health systems and their partners to move beyond what takes place in clinical settings and to identify and respond to the needs of patients and communities. Notes that some approaches may work differently in rural and urban areas.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Re-imagining Leadership: A Pathway for Rural Health to Thrive in a COVID-19 World
A COVID-19 emergency response playbook for rural healthcare delivery systems. Designed to build rural hospital and primary care leadership capacities around strategic thinking and local problem solving. Distills insights from rural hospital administrators, clinicians, and public health experts. Includes an assessment tool to help rural communities examine governance and leadership, community engagement, financial health, clinical care, and emergency preparedness and resilience.
Author(s): Lauren S. Hughes, Benjamin D. Anderson, Darlene B. Tad-y, et al.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Tool
Sponsoring organizations: Colorado Hospital Association, Eugene S. Farley, Jr. Health Policy Center
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