Rural Project Examples Addressing Behavioral health

Avera LIGHT
Updated/reviewed March 2021

Need: Assistance for urban and rural physicians — as well as other healthcare providers — who are experiencing burnout and other issues associated with well-being.
Intervention: As part of its provider well-being focus in its rural and urban facilities, Avera Health system has created a program which attends to physician wellness issues starting with recruitment with continued support through retirement.
Results: With increasing engagement due to word of mouth, the program creates a culture of wellness where stigma is decreased and providers are encouraged to be proactive in reaching out for assistance for issues related to their personal and professional well-being.

Hope Squad
Updated/reviewed March 2021

Need: To reduce youth suicide rates.
Intervention: Hope Squad is a nationwide program that trains youth to look after their classmates and refer those with suicidal thoughts or other mental health concerns to adult advisors.
Results: Studies suggest that Hope Squad schools' students with suicidal thoughts are more likely than non-Hope Squad schools' students to solicit help and that stigma surrounding mental illness is decreasing.

The Sapling Center
Updated/reviewed March 2021

Need: To create a safe space for youth and young adults, ages 14 to 25, in rural eastern Kentucky.
Intervention: The Sapling Center provides independent living skills education and offers a wide array of services as well as fun activities in a supportive environment.
Results: The Sapling Center serves 50-75 teens and young adults every day. Increasing demand for services led to the opening of more centers in the region.

On the Move! Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment & Education (Operation UNITE)
Updated/reviewed February 2021

Need: To decrease illicit drug and alcohol use in the Central Appalachian region of Kentucky, where many schools had no type of prevention curriculum.
Intervention: Using engaging simulations and presentations, the project delivers substance use prevention education to middle school and high school students.
Results: Post-test surveys show that thousands of students are reached through the "On the Move!" project and gain positive knowledge on the dangers of substance use.

MaineGeneral Harm Reduction Program
Updated/reviewed December 2020

Need: To reduce deaths from opioid overdoses in rural Maine.
Intervention: The MaineGeneral Harm Reduction Program provides community education/training for healthcare staff, first responders, community agency staff, and community members in rural Kennebec and Somerset counties.
Results: MaineGeneral continues to train providers, provide stigma assessments, and distribute Narcan kits.

Family Wellness Warriors Initiative
Updated/reviewed November 2020

Need: Decrease rates of domestic violence, child sexual abuse, and child neglect for Alaska Native people in remote villages.
Intervention: An evidence-based model inclusive of traditional culture trains local communities on methods of prevention and treatment for domestic and interpersonal violence.
Results: Self-sustaining local system with improved family and spiritual well-being and decreased healthcare access needs.

Sowing the Seeds of Hope
Updated/reviewed November 2020

Need: Agriculture workers and their families have high rates of psychological distress and suicide, but limited access to mental health services.
Intervention: The "Sowing the Seeds of Hope" (SSoH) program was created to provide affordable and culturally appropriate mental health services to individuals working in agriculture and their families in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Results: The regional program ran from 1999-2014 and successfully established a variety of interventions to help individuals in rural communities access behavioral health services.

Catalina Island Telemedicine Center
Updated/reviewed August 2020

Need: To access specialty medical services, residents of Santa Catalina Island have to travel 20 miles by boat to southern California. A telemedicine service was needed to connect island residents to the mainland's specialty services.
Intervention: The Catalina Island Medical Center created a telemedicine center to give residents quick access to specialty medical care, including diabetic consultations and pain management.
Results: An analysis of the telemedicine program found that patients had measurable improvements, and that 90% of patients were pleased with the program and will continue to use it.

SLV N.E.E.D.: Naloxone Education Empowerment Distribution Program
Updated/reviewed August 2020

Need: Growing concern in rural Colorado communities regarding prescription and illegal opioid overdoses.
Intervention: Education efforts for health workers and the larger community, in addition to establishing a naloxone overdose reversal drug program.
Results: In addition to continuing to train nearly all first responders to administer naloxone, the organization provides harm reduction education in various community settings.

Medical Home Plus
Updated/reviewed February 2020

Need: To help reduce diabetes, depression, and stroke risk in rural residents.
Intervention: A collaborative care model was implemented in the Idaho counties of Clearwater, Idaho, and Lewis.
Results: Increased number of patients with controlled blood sugar, controlled blood pressure, and higher depression screening rates.

Rural Project Examples: Behavioral health