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Rural Project Examples: Health conditions

Other Project Examples

High Rockies Harm Reduction

Added October 2023

  • Need: To reduce drug overdose deaths and the spread of infectious diseases in rural Colorado.
  • Intervention: This program provides harm reduction and peer support to people who use drugs and to their loved ones.
  • Results: This program distributed 3,125 doses of naloxone and 4,760 fentanyl test strips in 2022.

One Health Recovery Doulas

funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy funded by the Health Resources Services Administration

Added October 2023

  • Need: To support pregnant and parenting women with a history of substance use, mental health, or co-occurring disorders in rural areas of Montana.
  • Intervention: One Health, a consortium of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), developed a team of "recovery doulas" – individuals who are dual-certified as doulas and peer-support specialists. The One Health recovery doula program offers group and individual services to women and their partners from pregnancy through the first years of parenthood.
  • Results: A team of nine recovery doulas (or doulas-in-training) employed by One Health offer services in ten rural Montana counties. Recovery doulas have provided essential support to women with substance use disorder, survivors of sexual abuse, unhoused individuals, and individuals facing other complex challenges.

HIV Telehealth Collaborative Care (HIV TCC) Program

Updated/reviewed September 2023

  • Need: To increase access to specialty care for rural veterans living with HIV.
  • Intervention: The HIV Telehealth Collaborative Care (TCC) study connects these patients with HIV specialists via clinical video telehealth or VA video connect and works to create shared care relationships with primary care teams in rural areas.
  • Results: The HIV TCC program provides HIV specialty care access to rural veterans in a sustainable manner with infrastructure, mentorship, and capacity building.

Age-Friendly and Dementia-Friendly Winnemucca

Updated/reviewed August 2023

  • Need: To educate rural community members about Alzheimer's disease and other dementias and to support older adults in need.
  • Intervention: A community group formed in Winnemucca, Nevada, to discuss topics like health, housing, social events, community improvement, education, and transportation for older adults. The group also provides outreach to older adults, caregiver support, and a variety of of educational activities and events.
  • Results: The group's efforts have led to many changes for community welfare and safety as well as opportunities for education and activities.

Jefferson Healthcare Prescription CSA

Added July 2023

  • Need: To increase food security among low-income patients living with cancer and diabetes in rural Jefferson County, Washington.
  • Intervention: A local healthcare system partnered with a small organic farm to offer weekly produce boxes to eligible low-income patients.
  • Results: 10 patients participated in the Jefferson Healthcare prescription CSA program in 2022. In 2023, the program grew to serve 15 patients.

Facing Diabetes: Quality Improvement in Rural South Dakota Project

funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Updated/reviewed May 2023

  • Need: To help adults and children in rural South Dakota prevent or manage their diabetes.
  • Intervention: The Facing Diabetes Project offered medical visits for adults and provided prevention and education sessions for the local 4th and 5th graders.
  • Results: Many adults and children in the region felt better equipped to choose healthy foods, exercise regularly, and manage their stress: all factors that can help prevent diabetes or decrease its effects.

The Minnesota Integrative Behavioral Health Program

Updated/reviewed May 2023

  • Need: Out of 79 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) surveyed in Minnesota in 2015, behavioral health was the most frequently cited service requested.
  • Intervention: In response, Rural Health Innovations launched the Minnesota Integrative Behavioral Health Program. This initiative engaged representatives across all sectors in health integration between hospital, primary care, and community services.
  • Results: Strategy sessions resulted in the creation of resource directories to improve care coordination, evaluation measurements to document results, and an overall better understanding of integrative care challenges.

Queen Anne's County Mobile Integrated Community Health (MICH) Program

Updated/reviewed April 2023

  • Need: To connect patients to resources in order to reduce use of emergency services, emergency department visits, and hospital readmissions.
  • Intervention: Patients receive support (by in-person visit, phone call, or telehealth visit) from a paramedic, community health nurse, peer recovery specialist, and pharmacist.
  • Results: Between July 2016 and June 2019, the MICH program enrolled 233 patients and demonstrated a total savings of $3,393,908 in healthcare costs.

It's a Girl Thing: Making Proud Choices

Updated/reviewed February 2023

  • Need: Teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, in young girls were concerns for members of Union Parish, Louisiana.
  • Intervention: Union General Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital, created the program It's a Girl Thing: Making Proud Choices to teach prevention, self-confidence, and personal responsibility to teen girls.
  • Results: Teen pregnancy rates in Union Parish have dropped by 18%, exceeding the program's initial goal of 5%. Graduation rates have also increased the longer girls remain in the program.

Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana's Stepping Stones Program

funded by the Health Resources Services Administration

Added February 2023

  • Need: Black women living with HIV in rural southeastern Louisiana face challenges in accessing care and other needed resources, often while dealing with other life stressors such as poverty, physical and mental health comorbidities, and a history of trauma.
  • Intervention: Implementing three evidence-informed interventions simultaneously ensures success in linking, treating, and retaining Black women in HIV care to improve health outcomes.
  • Results: As of February 2023, Stepping Stones has recruited 38 participants.