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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Project Examples: Abuse and violence

Evidence-Based Examples

Updated/reviewed April 2025

  • Need: To reduce violence against pregnant women and women with infants in rural Missouri.
  • Intervention: A tool for existing home visiting programs, DOVE was a brochure-based and safety planning intervention for women experiencing interpersonal violence.
  • Results: Women receiving the DOVE intervention saw a larger average decrease in number of violent incidents than women in the control group.

Effective Examples

Updated/reviewed April 2025

  • Need: To provide psychotherapy to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
  • Intervention: University of Wyoming psychology doctoral students provide psychotherapy via videoconferencing to crisis center clients in two rural locations.
  • Results: Clients, student therapists, and crisis center staff were satisfied with the quality of services, and clients reported reduced symptoms of depression and PTSD.
funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Updated/reviewed February 2024

  • Need: To improve awareness of behavioral and mental health issues by students in rural, east central Mississippi.
  • Intervention: An intensive community mental health outreach program was implemented for students in rural Mississippi.
  • Results: As of 2018 and on a yearly basis, 6,000 7th and 8th grade students receive mental health education on a variety of topics which improves their ability to recognize mental health issues, high risk behaviors, and manage their own choices.

Other Project Examples

Updated/reviewed April 2025

  • Need: To reduce and prevent domestic violence and sexual assault in Utah's rural Beaver, Garfield, and Iron counties.
  • Intervention: Canyon Creek Services provides a 24/7 emergency hotline, emergency shelter, hospital response, crisis intervention, housing advocacy, and community education services.
  • Results: In 2024, CCS served 742 clients, received 1,063 hotline calls, and provided 4,988 hours of advocacy. CCS also provided 21 educational trainings in the community, with 1,125 people in attendance.

Updated/reviewed April 2025

  • Need: To reduce teen dating violence in middle schools, high schools, and youth organizations by promoting healthy relationship behaviors and fostering a culture of respect among adolescents.
  • Intervention: Jana's Campaign offers prevention programs, including curricular and co-curricular activities, to highlight the 'red flags' and underlying causes of unhealthy dating relationships.
  • Results: Since 2013, 677 middle and high schools and more than 102,350 students in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon, Montana, and Washington State have benefited from these programs.
funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Updated/reviewed August 2024

  • Need: Before 2000, Butte and southwest Montana saw around 1,300 cases of child abuse a year, with only a 20% conviction rate for perpetrators of sexual abuse.
  • Intervention: Multiple agencies in the community came together to address the issue of child abuse by forming the Butte Child Evaluation Center (CEC), a Children's Advocacy Center.
  • Results: During a 3-year grant cycle, over 200 interviews and exams were performed on victims of sexual abuse and the Butte CEC became the first program in Montana to be accredited by the National Children's Alliance.

Added August 2024

  • Need: Support for people experiencing domestic violence in Kingsville, Texas and the surrounding area.
  • Intervention: A grassroots task force leading a series of initiatives that include a court accompaniment program, trusted partner trainings for community members, and a hotel voucher program for emergency shelter.
  • Results: More than 100 people have been trained in the trusted partner program, and at least a dozen hotel vouchers have been utilized.

Updated/reviewed June 2024

  • Need: Clinicians in rural and underserved areas are often unprepared to provide comprehensive medical-forensic examinations for patients who present for care following a sexual assault.
  • Intervention: The MDPH TeleSANE Center uses secure telehealth software to connect sexual assault nurse examiners to clinicians and patients in hospitals across Massachusetts — including four in rural counties — offering expert clinical guidance and support before, during, and after examinations.
  • Results: Clinicians report that the service gives them increased confidence throughout the examination process. To date, the MDPH TeleSANE Center has assisted in the care of over 960 patients.

Updated/reviewed December 2023

  • Need: Agencies in Schoharie County, New York were seeing a widespread trend of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in the children and families they served.
  • Intervention: The Schoharie ACEs Team was formed as a way to educate rural communities about ACEs, the associated brain science, and ways to build resiliency.
  • Results: The ACEs Team has put on 5 half-day educational conferences, 2 virtual conferences, and 10 trainings for various groups across the region. The team has also trained 3 school districts on trauma-informed care and provided resources for families exposed to trauma.

Updated/reviewed November 2023

  • Need: To provide victims of domestic violence and sexual assault a safe space, advocacy, education, and family support services.
  • Intervention: Safe Place of Eastern South Dakota provides emergency/transitional housing, support and referral services, family visitation services, and community education.
  • Results: In 2022, Safe Place of Eastern South Dakota answered 350 crisis calls, provided shelter for 132 survivors, and advocated for 94 survivors.

For examples from other sources, see: