Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Other Case Studies and Collections of Program Examples: Wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention

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.

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
view details
Rural Communities: Best Practices and Promising Approaches for Safe Routes
Discusses the barriers to safe walking and biking to school in some rural communities. Describes how to successfully implement the Safe Routes to School approach in rural areas, with examples of successful programs.
Date: 2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Safe Routes to School National Partnership
view details
A Community-Based, Culturally Relevant Intervention to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity among Middle-Aged African American Women in Rural Alabama: Findings from a Group Randomized Controlled Trial
Examines a community-based, culturally relevant intervention to promote healthy eating and physical activity among African American women between the ages of 45-65 living in rural Alabama. Includes study participant demographic data at the starting baseline and a 24 month follow up. Covers healthy lifestyle data at the starting baseline, 12 month, and 24 month follow up for dietary and physical activity measures.
Author(s): Isabel C. Scarinci, Artisha Moore, Theresa Wynn, et al.
Citation: Preventive Medicine, 69, 13-20
Date: 12/2014
Type: Document
view details
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
view details
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
view details
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
view details
Suicide Prevention Resource Center - Best Practices Registry
Presents a database of best practices for suicide prevention. Allows users to search by population served, location, and approaches, including by rural and urban locations.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Suicide Prevention Resource Center
view details
Munson Medical Center: A Prescription for Long-Lasting Wellness
Describes the Shape Up North Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program, an initiative of the Munson Medical Center in rural Traverse City, Michigan, in cooperation with local farmers markets.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Michigan Health & Hospital Association
view details
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Impact Case Studies
Provides a list of successful, rural-specific case studies describing how tools and resources from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) are being used and their impacts at the local and national policy level, in healthcare systems, and for other professional healthcare services and providers. Case study examples are searchable by state/territory or at the national level, date, and topic.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
view details
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
view details