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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

North Dakota Models and Innovations

These stories feature model programs and successful rural projects that can serve as a source of ideas. Some of the projects or programs may no longer be active. Read about the criteria and evidence-base for programs included.

Other Project Examples

Updated/reviewed January 2025

  • Need: To connect underserved and isolated older adults and family caregivers in rural Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota to services and supports so they can age in place.
  • Intervention: The Rural Aging Action Network is a national collaborative of organizations that mobilize whole communities to address gaps in care for older adults and family caregivers.
  • Results: Since 2022, the collaborative has reached over 600 older adults and over 100 family caregivers living in rural communities.

Updated/reviewed July 2024

  • Need: To bring needed child care to rural Mercer County, North Dakota.
  • Intervention: A nonprofit cooperative provides part-time and full-time child care.
  • Results: ECCCC currently has about 60 children enrolled, but it had 86 children at the height of its enrollment history.

Updated/reviewed July 2024

  • Need: To reduce suicide and substance-related deaths in North Dakota and Minnesota.
  • Intervention: The Care and Support program provides support through phone calls, cards, and texting to those who have called suicide helplines or were referred by a healthcare provider.
  • Results: In 2023, FirstLink made 10,709 calls and sent 913 cards to program participants.

Updated/reviewed January 2024

  • Need: Dual platform to teach both plain language use and health literacy principles to health professions students and disseminate health information to rural populations.
  • Intervention: Writing project using community-specific public health data in order to write a plain language health education article suitable for publication in a rural newspaper.
  • Results: Since program start in 2017, over 60 students have successfully published their plain language health education articles in 17 rural newspapers in 3 states.

Last Updated: 1/8/2025