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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community engagement and volunteerism

Beyond Patient Care: A Qualitative Study of Rural Hospitals' Role in Improving Community Health
Explores rural hospitals' motivations and strategies to engage in community health improvement efforts. Presents findings from eleven interviews with key informants from 4 Midwestern hospitals and identifies common themes.
Author(s): Mochamad Muska Nataliansyah, Xi Zhu, Thomas Vaughn, Keith Mueller
Citation: BMJ Open, 12(3), e057450
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
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Engaging Communities Through Issues Forums: A How-To Guide for Onsite and Online Community Engagement
Offers guidance on community forums as a technical education tool, including information on planning and hosting a forum, strategies for engaging communities, and resources to support committees and stakeholders. Features examples from forums on farm vitality, farmer mental health, and family health. Requires email registration to view the guide as a flipbook, with a PDF download option at the bottom of the screen.
Author(s): Maria Pippidis, Bonnie Braun, Jessie Ketterman, Shoshanah Inwood, Nicole Wright
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Cooperative Extension Service
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Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide in Chronic Disease Through Community Engagement in Health Program Delivery
Discusses health disparities in rural versus urban communities in North Carolina and possible solutions for community-centered change. Includes charts and maps that detail rural-urban differences in mortality, heart disease, and housing problems.
Author(s): Lori Carter-Edwards, Monica M. Taylor
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 83(2), 103-106
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
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Implementing Community-Based Prostate Cancer Education in Rural South Carolina: A Collaborative Approach through a Statewide Cancer Alliance
Surveyed 40 primarily African American men in rural South Carolina to determine impact of a community-based prostate health education program. Discusses the effectiveness of community-based education in rural communities.
Author(s): Catherine Troy, Ashley Brunson, Andrew Goldsmith, et al
Citation: Journal of Cancer Education
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
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Rural Emergency Hospital Conversion: Critical Factors for EMS Support
Policy position paper focused on emergency medical services (EMS) in communities with hospitals converting to Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) status. Outlines barriers to EMS delivery in rural areas including funding, workforce, and community engagement and support. Includes policy recommendations.
Author(s): Julie Bosak, Jed Hansen
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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2021 Transportation Trends
Identifies trends and issues affecting the availability of accessible transportation for older adults and people with disabilities. Includes sections on rural community engagement and rural volunteer transportation programs. Highlights examples of programs underway in rural areas to address transportation needs.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
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Social Cohesion and Social Engagement among Older Adults Aging in Place: Rural/Urban Differences
Results of a study examining rural/urban differences in social cohesion and social engagement for older adults aging in place, and within-rural differences by race and ethnicity. Uses survey data collected in 2019 from 3,343 Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Megan Lahr, Hannah MacDougall, John Mulcahy
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
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Civic Engagement and Civic Infrastructure to Advance Health Equity
Presents discussions from a workshop on civic engagement and civic infrastructure held by the Roundtable on Population Health Improvement. Topics include participation in democratic processes, civic inclusion and engagement, and the public health impacts of civic participation, including for tribal communities.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
Date: 2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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2021 Wisconsin Population Health and Equity Report Card
Reports on overall health of citizens in Wisconsin in 2021 with a focus on improving equity and eliminating health disparities. Discusses access to quality healthcare, safe and affordable housing, economic resources for children and families, broadband infrastructure, civic engagement, and more. Includes data broken down by education, race and ethnicity, and community type from large metro to rural.
Date: 2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
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At the Heart of Community-Engaged Research in Halifax County, N.C.
Describes a research project through North Carolina Central University (NCCU) that examines health disparities in rural Halifax County, NC and that places emphasis on building trust between researchers and the community. Discusses community-engaged research methodologies and the process of training researchers to conduct such research.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
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