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Rural Health Information Hub

Other Case Studies and Collections of Program Examples: Food security and nutrition

In addition to RHIhub's Rural Health Models and Innovations rural program examples, you may also want to browse other case studies, databases, and websites with collections of health programs.

Each resource listed below uses its own criteria for selecting program examples, which may range from programs known to be effective based on research to anecdotal accounts. In each resource, you may want to review information on the level of evidence required for a program's inclusion.

May include non-rural programs that could be applicable to rural health delivery.

Working With Rural Producers to Expand EBT in Farmers' Markets: A Case Study in Hardeman County, Tennessee
Reviews a case study about how an Extension program encouraged rural Tennessee farmers market producers to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT). Discusses the outcomes of a workshop about how to begin the EBT application process, advertise SNAP at a farmers market, and improve health benefits by expanding food access.
Author(s): Karen L. Franck, Soghra Jarvandi, Kristen Johnson, et al.
Citation: Health Promotion Practice, 24(1)
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
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Lakewood Engage Tackles Food Insecurity in Rural Minnesota
Features a community-based program in rural Minnesota that addresses food insecurity through multiple initiatives, including distribution of fresh produce through a food "prescription" program, home delivery of meals to post-acute care patients and those in COVID-19 quarantine, and a farmers market.
Author(s): Kathryn Rutz
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Wabanaki Public Health Serves Native People, Community, and Culture During COVID-19 Crisis
Features a Maine public health agency that serves five tribal communities and has used federal funding to address a wide range of health issues, including responding to issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses initiatives focused on food access, support for elders, and substance use treatment.
Author(s): Kathryn Rutz
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Pennsylvania Hospital Transitions HRSA-Funded Program to Online Services and Addresses COVID-19 Stress
Features Butler Memorial Hospital and how it adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights the switch to online delivery for a chronic disease project funded by a HRSA Rural Health Care Services Outreach grant. Also describes initiatives to address healthcare workforce stress, help patients use tablets to visit with loved ones, and distribute healthy food to the community.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Promising Practice: Sowing the Seeds of Healthy Eating in Rural Indiana
Illustrates how a training and education program for rural residents living in 7 rural communities within the New Allen Alliance (NAA), a partnership of communities in eastern Allen County, Indiana, encourages healthy cooking, access to healthy foods, and improved health.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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A Community Holding Hands to Bridge its Divide
Describes the actions taken and programs developed by the residents of Garrett County, Maryland, in response to the economic, cultural, and health challenges they face. Working together, the Garrett County residents have been able to provide scholarships to every high school graduate to attend community college for free, develop 700 affordable, low-income, mixed-income, and workforce housing units, and more. Garrett County is a recipient of the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Promoting a Nutritious Diet Inside and Outside the Hospital
Highlights a rural Vermont hospital's efforts to promote healthier eating habits both inside and outside the hospital by locally sourcing food, encouraging participation in their "Ton of Tomatoes" project, and processing produce to help food-insecure community members. Discusses efforts of other hospitals promoting healthy diets, including removing unhealthy cafeteria meal options and promoting community gardens.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Promising Practices to Build Healthy Active Native Communities
Highlights promising practices to improve the health and wellness in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Discusses programs designed to incorporate Native cultural beliefs into healthy eating practices and fitness regimens that support physical well-being.
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Indian Physicians
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Aroostook Band of Micmacs Monitor Atmospheric Mercury
Details a project developed by the Aroostook Band of Micmacs to monitor atmospheric mercury in an attempt to protect a crucial food source traditionally utilized by the tribe. Discusses the tribe's partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP).
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Native Americans
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Rural Farmers Market Promotes Food Security
Discusses food insecurity and access to healthy foods, with a focus on how regional farmers markets are helping to solve those challenges. Includes program examples in Michigan as well as information about how farmers markets can partner with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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