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Rural Health Information Hub

Other Case Studies and Collections of Program Examples: Health conditions

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.

Community-Wide Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Programs and Health Outcomes in a Rural County, 1970-2010.
Describes key elements and outcomes of programs targeting hypertension, cholesterol, and smoking, as implemented in Franklin County, Maine over a 40 year period. Includes statistics with breakdowns by demographics, risk factor reductions, hospitalization rates, and mortality rates, with comparisons between Franklin County and totals for all Maine counties.
Author(s): N. Burgess Record, Daniel K. Onion, Roderick E. Prior, et al.
Citation: JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 313(2), 147-155
Date: 01/2015
Type: Document
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Rural Healthy People 2020: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2020, Volume 1
Provides a rural focus for the Healthy People 2020 priorities. Includes overviews of the top 10 rural health priority areas identified by rural stakeholders. (Volume 2 discusses priorities 11-20.) Topics addressed include: health insurance, primary care, emergency services, nutrition and weight status, diabetes, mental health, substance abuse, heart disease and stroke, physical activity, older adults, maternal and child health, and tobacco use. Each overview includes reviews of the relevant literature and models that rural communities can use to address the issues. Document is available for free download, after providing brief information about intended use.
Author(s): Jane N. Bolin, Gail Bellamy, Alva O. Ferdinand, Bita Kash, Janet W. Helduser
Date: 2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Adapting and Implementing an Evidence-Based Sun-Safety Education Program in Rural Idaho, 2012
Describes the process St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute (MSTI) took to engage and partner with a community organization to implement an evidence-based sun-safety program in rural Idaho. Includes information on identifying and recruiting a community partner; selecting an evidence-based program; and planning, implementing, sustaining, and expanding the program.
Author(s): Charlene Cariou, Melanie Gonzales, Hope Krebill
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 11, 130268
Date: 05/2014
Type: Document
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Greenhouse Nurtures Confidence and Skills in Montana Psychiatric Patients
Healing Waters Greenhouse at Montana State Hospital helps patients increase social and work skills and decrease stress.
Author(s): Candi Helseth
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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New Jersey Clinic Promotes Healthy Lifestyles
Profiles the lifestyle and weight management counseling program at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in rural New Jersey.
Author(s): Candi Helseth
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Assessing the Feasibility of a Virtual Tumor Board Program: A Case Study
Examines the feasibility of a Virtual Tumor Board (VTB) program connecting rural community clinicians to the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (UNC LCCC) tumor board. Analyzes the individual clinical participants to explore their experiences with the VTB. Includes a summary of data collection methods, coding of interview data, and UNC tumor board participant survey results.
Author(s): Christopher M. Shea, Randall Teal, Lindsey Haynes-Maslow, et al.
Citation: Journal of Healthcare Management, 59(3), 177-193
Date: 2014
Type: Document
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Promising Approaches to Integrating Community Health Workers into Health Systems: Four Case Studies
Identifies the scope of practice, supervision, financing, and the workforce standards implemented by states and employers in the development of community health worker (CHW) programs. Four case studies that include rural counties illustrate the challenges and opportunities for integrating CHWs into health systems.
Author(s): Lauren Eyster, Randall R. Bovbjerg
Date: 12/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Creating a Culture of Health in Appalachia: Disparities and Bright Spots
An initiative focused on health outcomes in Appalachian communities. Provides access to health disparities data on health status, healthcare delivery, and social determinants of health (SDOH) indicators for counties within the rural Appalachian region. Also identifies and provides case studies of "Bright Spots", counties in the region with better-than-expected health outcomes.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Case Study: Health Coaches Partner with Community Members to Achieve Health and Wellness Goals
Details key steps and lessons learned to implementing a Health Coach program at Saunders Medical Center in Wahoo, Nebraska. Describes the program serving Wahoo and its surrounding communities. Provides education and advocacy for patients' overall health that produced positive results in 4 areas: mental health, breast health, diabetes, and obesity.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Bryan Health, Edge Wellness, Family Service Lincoln, Saunders County Prevention Coalition, Saunders Medical Center, Three Rivers Public Health Department, Wahoo Parks and Recreation
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Case Study: Rural Health System Partners with Local Fitness Centers and Small Businesses to Improve Workplace Wellness
Outlines Henderson Health Care Services' reaction to a 2015 community health needs assessment (CHNA) that identified fitness and nutrition as community concerns. Composed of a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) and several specialty and primary care clinics, the Henderson, Nebraska-based rural health system launched a workplace wellness program called Body @ Work. The program offers area employees reduced membership rates at participating fitness centers, wellness education, and other preventive care opportunities such as blood pressure checks at the workplace.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bryan Health
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