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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community engagement and volunteerism

Addressing Commercial Tobacco Use in Indigenous Communities Toolkit
Explores public health approaches to addressing commercial tobacco use disparities in Indigenous communities. Discusses community engagement, cultural appropriateness, and other elements of effective communication and program implementation. Features case studies focused on rural youth engagement, access to services in Alaska Native villages, policy development in the Navajo Nation, and more.
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Lung Association (ALA)
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Rural Community Engagement Resource Guide
Describes the importance of community engagement in developing and implementing strategies to improve health, increase value, and drive equitable care delivery. Outlines a variety of toolkits, strategies, and resources to help initiate, improve, and inspire community engagement strategies that support value-based care.
Additional links: Community Engagement and Value Based Care Infographic
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Changes in Physical Activity Outcomes in the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities (SHHC-2.0) Community-Based Randomized Trial
Examines the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities 2.0 (SHHC-2.0) intervention focused on exercise, nutrition, and civic engagement. Analyzes behavior changes of 182 women aged 40 and older living in rural New York and provides discussion about implementing wellness interventions in rural areas.
Author(s): Jay E. Maddock, Margaret Demment, Meredith Graham, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19,159
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Addressing Health Inequities in Rural California: An Interview with Roque Barros, Jr.
An interview with Roque Barros, Jr., executive director of the Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation (IVWF). Describes IVWF's work around civic engagement and community building, shares examples of successful rural philanthropy approaches, and discusses how philanthropy can help support rural communities facing health inequities.
Author(s): Joelle Cook, Roque Barros, Jr.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: FSG
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Responding to One Rural Community's Primary Care Needs: Investing in Workforce and Broad Community Stakeholder Engagement
Commentary describing a model in which an academic health system in Rockingham County, North Carolina made targeted primary care investments to address rural health disparities while working to ensure sustainability within the health workforce. Examines challenges to improving rural health outcomes and offers suggestions for health systems seeking to replicate the Rockingham model.
Author(s): Sherry Hay, Emily M. Hawes, Alyssa Zamierowski, Stokes Ann Hunt, Cristen P. Page
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 83(6), 435-439
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
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The Intersection of Workplace and Environmental Exposure on Health in Latinx Farm Working Communities in Rural Inland Southern California
Analyzes access and barriers to healthcare services for Eastern Coachella Valley rural farmworkers who are exposed to workplace and environmental health risks. Reports on 9 culturally responsive in-home interviews conducted from 2017 to 2018 with the assistance of a bilingual Spanish-Purépecha Latina promotora. Provides demographic information of participants and quotes from interviews related to themes such as environmental exposures, including the nearby Salton Sea; agricultural labor and its impact on health; chronic health conditions and trauma of exposures; and community-proposed solutions.
Author(s): Ann Marie Cheney, Tatiana Barrera, Katheryn Rodriguez, Ana María Jaramillo López
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12940
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
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COVID Community-Engaged Testing in Alabama: Reaching Underserved Rural Populations Through Collaboration
Provides an overview of the National Institutes of Health's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics–Underserved Populations initiative that fostered collaborations to increase COVID-19 testing in rural areas of Alabama. Discusses intervention, implementation, and evaluation of initiative and includes county-level data on tests administered.
Author(s): Christopher Greer McCollum, Thomas N. Creger, Aadia I. Rana, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 112(10), 1399-1403
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
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Masterclass in Telling the Stories of Rural Health in America
A recording of a web event focused around storytelling and reporting on rural health issues. Discusses strategies to communicate and cover health disparities, access barriers, workforce shortages, and inequities while also highlighting the power of rural resilience and change agents in communities.
Date: 09/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Philanthropy, Cross-Collaboration, and the Ecosystem That Is Rural Healthcare Delivery: Q&A with Dr. Shao-Chee Sim
An interview with Shao-Chee Sim, PhD, vice president for research, innovation, and evaluation for the Texas-based Episcopal Health Foundation. Discusses how philanthropic organizations can support community engagement, make research investments, and leverage cross-funder collaboration to impact the rural healthcare delivery system.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Strengthening Social Connection and Opportunities in Rural Communities
Brief describing the St. David's Foundation's efforts to support rural community capacity building to address social determinants of health in central Texas. Discusses rural-specific considerations for rural philanthropy, network building, and participatory grantmaking.
Author(s): Abena Asante, William Moore
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Grantmakers in Health
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