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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Project Examples: Health conditions

Other Project Examples

Optimal Health Behavioral Health Home Models

Updated/reviewed December 2019

  • Need: A healthcare delivery model to improve health and well-being of Pennsylvania patients with serious mental illness in Pennsylvania, especially those in rural settings.
  • Intervention: County human service administrators, patients, families, a behavioral health provider network, and a nonprofit behavioral health managed care organization implemented 2 versions of a behavioral home health model focusing on a complete culture of wellness.
  • Results: These unique models significantly increased patient activation, engagement in both primary and specialty care, and improved client perception of their mental health status.

Families Plus Comprehensive Health and Mentoring for Underserved Youth

funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Added March 2019

  • Need: Pediatric behavioral health services in Delta County, Colorado.
  • Intervention: Multi-organizational and community-wide effort to increase healthcare access for underserved children and to integrate behavioral health care into the area's primary care clinics.
  • Results: Sustainable increases in access to pediatric behavioral health services.

Foundations Family Medicine's HIV, HCV, Opioid and Substance Use Disorder Services

Added November 2018

  • Need: Due to the opioid crisis, Austin, Indiana has seen the largest concentrated outbreak of HIV in rural America's recent history. Since 2015, over 200 residents have been diagnosed with the virus.
  • Intervention: Foundations Family Medicine began offering testing and treatment services for HIV, hepatitis C, and opioid/substance use disorder. Education, care coordination and behavioral health services were also offered as an integrated part of their primary care clinic.
  • Results: Although the virus continues to spread throughout Scott County, the rate has significantly decreased, outdoing national suppression rates by a large margin (76% compared to national average of 49%).

The Adolescent Pre-Diabetes Prevention Program

funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Added October 2018

  • Need: Prevention of type 2 diabetes in adolescents living in rural parts of Louisiana.
  • Intervention: Through screenings, the Adolescent Pre-Diabetes Prevention Program detects the onset of prediabetes. Through nutrition and physical activity education, the program teaches high school students and staff how to adopt healthy lifestyles.
  • Results: The program has seen an increase in enrollment and continues to see decreases in body weight, body mass index, and A1C levels among participants.