This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Human services

Columbia Gorge Region, Oregon and Washington: 2016 RWJF Culture of Health Prize Winner
Describes how the communities within the Columbia Gorge region took a collaborative approach by developing a 15-member community advisory committee that included Medicaid recipients and Latino residents. Top concerns addressed by this committee were food, housing, jobs and transportation, along with improved access to dental and mental health, and better coordination among social services and healthcare providers. Projects included expanding the use and training of community health workers (CHWs) to assist Latino residents when navigating programs outside of healthcare and the development of a fruit and vegetable prescription program to support increased intake of healthy foods. A collective impact specialist was hired to help solve community problems through collaborative efforts, and to find grants and other sources of funding to support their projects. Columbia Gorge Region is a recipient of the 2016 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize.
Date: 2016
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
view details
The Two Georgias: Addressing Health Equity in Rural Georgia
A series of articles discussing health disparities between rural and urban Georgia. Includes sections devoted to literature reviews, qualitative research, population science, needs assessments, and public health practices. Topics range from rural hospital closure, access and use of EMS services, and teen pregnancy, to social determinants of health as connected to childcare programs.
Citation: Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association, 5(4), 294-404
Date: 2016
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Public Health Association
view details
Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Participation in Government Programs, 2009-2012: Who Gets Assistance?
Provides information on the characteristics and participation rates of people receiving benefits from Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), housing assistance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and general assistance. Tables in the appendices include metropolitan and non-metropolitan participation rates by program.
Author(s): Shelley K. Irving, Tracy A. Loveless
Date: 05/2015
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
view details
Intimate Partner Violence in Rural America
Policy brief examining rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) affecting women in rural areas. Discusses factors affecting IPV rates, including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), poverty, rural human services infrastructure, and rural healthcare. Offers policy recommendations to address rural IPV.
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
Perceptions of Housing Conditions Among Migrant Farmworkers and Their Families: Implications for Health, Safety and Social Policy
Provides insight into the housing conditions of migrant farmworkers in North Carolina and its effect on their health and safety.
Author(s): Jessica Keim-Malpass, Chaya R. Spears Johnson, Sara A. Quandt, Thomas A. Arcury
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 15(1), 3076
Date: 02/2015
view details
Homelessness in Rural America
Discusses the unique needs and characteristics of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in rural America. Makes recommendation to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on ways to improve access to healthcare and other human services for America's rural homeless populations.
Date: 07/2014
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
The Intersection of Rural Poverty and Federal Human Services Programs
Discusses challenges faced by federal human services programs in addressing rural poverty. Highlights two case studies offering different approaches for meeting these challenges, one from Montana and one from Colorado.
Date: 01/2014
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
The Need to Integrate Work Programs for Low-Income Rural Residents
Examines issues and opportunities associated with integration of workforce programs in rural communities. Discusses opportunities for the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services to collaborate to serve low-income rural residents.
Date: 12/2012
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
Humboldt County, California: A Promising Model for Rural Human Services Integration for Transformation
Summarizes an assessment of an integrated health and human services delivery model in Humboldt County, California. Analyzes operational structure and model elements that resulted in demonstrated effectiveness in serving a rural community.
Author(s): Mario Gutierrez, Kathleen Belanger, Jane Forrest Redfern, Larry Goolsby, Jocelyn Richgels
Date: 02/2012
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Human Services Panel
view details
The Geography of Need: Identifying Human Service Needs in Rural America
Uses American Community Survey five year average county-level data to compare the type and degree of human service needs in metropolitan versus non-metropolitan counties.
Author(s): Colleen Heflin, Kathleen Miller
Date: 06/2011
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
view details