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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community engagement and volunteerism

MPH Students Tackle Real-Life Problems at Oklahoma's Critical Access Hospitals
Presents an overview of an Oklahoma State University (OSU) program that enables public health students, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Office of Rural Health (OORH), to address challenges facing Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in Oklahoma. Projects are selected based on priorities from Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs), with past efforts addressing mental health first aid, healthy eating, substance use, physical activity, and more.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Suppers in Virginia Give Rural Folks a Chance to Meet and Share Information
Describes community suppers, which are events organized by the Virginia State Office of Rural Health (VA SORH) to encourage health-related discussion among rural community members. Topics include wellness, examples of community success, and suggestions for improvement.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Preventing Opioid Overdose with Peer-Administered Naloxone: Findings from a Rural State
Highlights a study on the efficacy of peer-administered naloxone to prevent opioid overdose deaths. Bases conclusions on interviews with individuals who have received the training and the naloxone kits from a program in rural Alaska.
Author(s): Bridget L. Hanson, Rebecca R. Porter, Amanda L. Zöld, Heather Terhorst-Miller
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 17(1), 4
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
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U.S. Census 2020: Engagement Opportunities for Rural Health Stakeholders
Discusses the U.S. Census Bureau's set of "Hard-to-Count" target areas for the 2020 census that include rural census tracts. Identifies ways in which rural stakeholders can use this information to engage healthcare providers in census support activities.
Citation: NOSORH Issue Brief, 2(3)
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Ten-Year Reflections on the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
Discussion of how data, evidence, guidance, and examples used in County Health Rankings & Roadmaps publications from January 2009 - January 2019 have helped communities improve the conditions in which their residents live. Examines how the methodology has changed over time, and includes a section on how the researchers adapted their methods so as to appropriately analyze data from rural areas with small populations.
Author(s): Bridget Booske Catlin, Willems Van Dijk
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
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NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Science: Involving Rural America in Research
Features translational science teams in Arkansas, Florida, and Washington that are helping ensure new scientific findings are being used in rural communities to help patients. Discusses community engagement, the role of the electronic health record in data sharing, and collaboration with cooperative extension.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Disrupting Food Insecurity: Steps Communities Can Take
Offers possible solutions to challenges that affect families' ability to afford a healthy diet. Explores strategies developed specifically to meet needs of overlooked rural communities, including help with housing and transportation.
Additional links: Interactive Data Dashboard
Author(s): Caroline Ratcliffe, Elaine Waxman, Cary Lou, Hannah Hassani, Victoria Tran
Date: 10/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Community Coalitions for Change and the Policy, Systems, and Environment Model: A Community-Based Participatory Approach to Addressing Obesity in Rural Tennessee
Reports on a community-based participatory initiative, Community Coalitions for Change (C3), to address obesity in four rural Tennessee counties. Discusses program results related to health education, physical activity, and healthy food choices.
Author(s): Heather Sedges Wallace, Karen L. Franck, Cori L. Sweet
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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A Rising Tide: Increasing Rural Local Health Department Capacity to Address the Social Determinants of Health
Describes unique challenges faced by rural local health departments (LHDs), as well as assets such as community connectivity and trusted local institutions. Explores the ways in which partnerships, leadership, community engagement, data and evaluation, and community health improvement planning function as foundational elements in addressing social determinants of health in rural communities.
Author(s): Karla Feeser, Melissa Mayer, Ashley Edmiston
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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National Rural Health Association: Rural Veterans and Their Families Policy Paper
Policy brief focused on supporting the health of rural veterans and their families from a community-based systems perspective. Addresses public-private partnerships, faith-based solutions, leveraging the stories of veterans using media, and the financial and economic security of rural veterans.
Author(s): David Albright, Carter Florence
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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