Rural Project Examples: Health conditions
Effective Examples
New Mexico Mobile Screening Program for Miners
Updated/reviewed December 2022
- Need: To increase access to medical screening for miners in New Mexico.
- Intervention: A mobile screening clinic with telemedicine capability screens miners for respiratory and other conditions.
- Results: In a survey, 92% of miners reported their care as very good, while the other 8% reported it as good. The program has expanded to three other states.
Vivir Mejor! (Live Better!) System of Diabetes Prevention and Care
Updated/reviewed August 2022
- Need: To address high rates of diabetes in rural Hispanic/Latino populations near the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Intervention: A comprehensive, culturally competent diabetes education program was implemented in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
- Results: Since 2012, this program has helped participants better manage their diabetes and increase healthy living behaviors.
HoMBReS
Updated/reviewed February 2022
- Need: To reduce the risk of HIV/STDs among Latino men living in rural regions of the United States.
- Intervention: Soccer team leaders are elected and trained as lay health advisors to promote sexual health education among team members.
- Results: Program participants report an increase in HIV testing, an increase in condom use, and an increase in awareness of how to prevent the transmission of HIV.
NC-REACH: NC-Rurally Engaging and Assisting Clients who are HIV positive and Homeless
Updated/reviewed November 2020
- Need: Provision of medical care access and follow-up for rural North Carolina HIV patients with mental health, substance abuse, and unstable housing/homelessness challenges.
- Intervention: Medical home staff model expanded to a care coordination program with a core Network Navigator and Continuum of Care Coordinator assisting with medical, behavioral health, and basic life needs.
- Results: To date, the program has advanced three aspects of medical home patient care for this target population: provided further understanding of the spectrum of homelessness, including "hidden" homelessness; implemented outreach with creation of new community partnerships and a community housing coalition; and integrated medical care and behavioral health care for HIV.
Community Health Worker-based Chronic Care Management Program
Added May 2020
- Need: Improve healthcare access and decrease chronic disease disparities in rural Appalachia.
- Intervention: A community health worker-based Chronic Care Management program demonstrated such a level of success in a single West Virginia county that it was further scaled for implementation in a multi-center, 3-state area of Appalachia.
- Results: When analysis of the disseminated program's results also demonstrated improved health outcomes and decreased healthcare costs, sustainability became possible due to innovative financial reimbursement models.
Medical Advocacy & Outreach's Telehealth Services
Updated/reviewed November 2018
- Need: Rural Alabama residents with HIV/AIDS face stigma, poverty, and transportation barriers, limiting their access to expert HIV/AIDS healthcare.
- Intervention: Medical Advocacy & Outreach utilizes telemedicine to remove these barriers and offers cost-effective care to rural patients living with HIV/AIDS.
- Results: This telehealth network has expanded to reach rural patients in 12 Alabama counties. Patients are staying engaged due to its convenience and cost-effective nature.
Trinity Hospital Twin City's Fit for Life
Updated/reviewed November 2018
- Need: To reduce obesity among adults in rural east central Ohio.
- Intervention: Fit for Life Replication Project for Expansion was developed to make it possible to lose weight through practicing healthier lifestyle behaviors.
- Results: Out of the 443 adults who have completed the program, 81% experienced weight loss, a tangible result of the program's overarching goal to enhance levels of health and fitness.
Promising Examples
Northeast Louisiana Regional Pre-Diabetes Prevention Program
Updated/reviewed March 2024
- Need: To prevent or slow the progression of diabetes for at-risk residents in Rural Northeast Louisiana.
- Intervention: The North Louisiana Regional Alliance developed a program that offered screenings, education, and an intense course for participants throughout the Northeast Louisiana region to lower the risk of diabetes.
- Results: The program saw an overall decrease in blood sugar levels in residents who participated in their initiatives.
TelePrEP
Updated/reviewed March 2024
- Need: To prevent new cases of HIV in rural Iowa.
- Intervention: TelePrEP provides preventive care via telehealth and prescription delivery.
- Results: Between February 2017 and August 2020, TelePrEP received 456 referrals, with 403 patients completing an initial visit.
Health without Borders
Updated/reviewed January 2024
- Need: To improve the health of communities in the south central region of New Mexico.
- Intervention: A program was developed to specifically address diabetes prevention and control, behavioral healthcare, and immunization in Luna County.
- Results: During the program, 1,500 immunizations were distributed, baseline measurements of participants improved, and 935 new patients were seen for behavioral health issues.
For examples from other sources, see: