Rural Health Initiative: Kitchen Wellness Program

Description

Established in 2004, the Rural Health Initiative (RHI) is a nonprofit, community-supported program designed to help remove the barriers of understanding and managing health and healthcare for the agricultural community. Through its unique concept of "Kitchen Wellness", wellness services and health information are offered in rural homes or businesses.

Services are free for adults in the agriculture community, including crop and dairy farmers, other agribusinesses, as well as individuals and employees associated with agricultural enterprises, such as hoof trimmers. Kitchen Wellness also reaches the Amish community and Hispanic workers.

Assisting residents of Wisconsin's Shawano, Outagamie, and Waupaca counties, the program is delivered by trained Outreach Health Coordinators. These professionals come to homes or businesses and conduct complimentary on-site preventive health screenings. Key challenges this program addresses include:

• Culture of Farming
  Farmers are known to be selfless people, which often means their health comes second to the health of their animals, their crop planting, and their harvests since the family's livelihood depends on these activities. RHI team members provide a trusted ear and resource for farmers.
• Delivery Model
  Members of agriculture, primarily farmers, are accustomed to a service delivery model that often comes to the farm, like veterinary services and large equipment repair services. However, society's current healthcare delivery model is opposite. This contributes to lower attendance rates within the healthcare system, and often driven only by emergency needs. RHI's on-site outreach offers a healthcare model that connects farmers with basic health screening services.
• High Deductibles
  Most farmers carry independent insurance, often with high deductibles. RHI's complimentary services remove the barrier of cost.
• Health Literacy
  Medical terminology can often be confusing to people. RHI's health coaching helps remove this barrier by explaining health information in simple and easy-to-understand terms.

RHI, a 501(c)3, is an effort supported by private and public agencies.

Services offered

• Preventive Screenings:
  Screening results for diabetes, heart disease, and depression. Blood pressure measurements, height/weight measurements to calculate body mass index (BMI). Glucose and cholesterol screening using minimal blood from a finger prick, allowing results in 10 minutes.
• Health Coaching:
  Education geared to abnormal test results or any topic of interest; life-style optimization, including health goal-setting; prevention information, screening, and any desired health needs.
• Referral information:
  Referrals to community agencies that might assist in reaching health goals, or for healthcare system information; in addition to counseling and networking services, financial planning, and agricultural assistance programs
• Health Risk Assessments (HRA)
• Personalized Follow-Up Packet:
  Based on test results and HRA results, a customized education packet is provided 2-3 weeks after personalized visit

Results

In 2021, RHI became part of ThedaCare and is operating under the umbrella of the ThedaCare Family of Foundations allowing the Kitchen Wellness RHI concept to continue to serve an even greater number of its target population.

Challenges

Sustainability is a barrier for new and existing programs. The Rural Health Initiative is a nonprofit organization and must compete with many other nonprofits competing for funding.

Replication

The program originated in 2004 in Shawano County and in 2012, expanded to Outagamie and Waupaca counties. To read about RHI's expansion to other counties, refer to this ThedaCare article.

Program coordinators recommend finding a healthcare professional with a passion for agriculture and those working in/associated with agriculture. Additionally, individuals from communities served are seen as the local experts and often are more easily approached for healthcare solutions.

The program website contains an RHI News, with webcasts, radio interviews, television appearances, annual reports, and press releases, as well as articles published about the initiative. The Resources page provides additional information on farm health, safety, and health insurance, among other topics.

Contact Information

Rhonda Strebel, Executive Director
Corporate Office (inside ThedaCare Physicians – Shawano)
715.524.1488
rhonda.strebel@thedacare.org