Rural Project Examples Addressing Healthcare needs and services

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.

Updated/reviewed February 2020

Need: Address oral health disparities in Washington's rural and underserved communities.
Intervention: The University of Washington School of Dentistry developed the Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program preparing dentists for practice in rural and underserved areas.
Results: As of 2019, 77% of all RIDE graduates are practicing in Washington state. Of those, 82% are practicing in rural and underserved communities.

Updated/reviewed December 2019

Need: Decrease hospital readmissions and emergency room visits for patients in rural Tidewater, Virginia.
Intervention: After inpatient admission or ER visit, identify at-risk patients to offer enrollment in remote monitoring and disease self-management education and coaching, with a special focus on behavioral health wellness.
Results: Decreased readmissions and ER visits paired with high patient satisfaction scores.

Updated/reviewed December 2019

Need: Improve readmission rates for rural patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Intervention: COPD Inpatient Navigator program implementation in a rural hospital in Oregon.
Results: With navigator assistance, COPD-associated readmission rate has decreased by almost 50%, with a continued improvement trend.

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.

Updated/reviewed July 2019

Need: Meeting both advanced practice pharmacy student education needs and patient healthcare needs in a nearby rural/underserved area.
Intervention: With support from multiple organizations, students in the Ohio Northern University's College of Pharmacy program use a motor coach to deliver a wide range of healthcare services during scheduled outreach visits.
Results: In the program's first two years, point-of-care screening, immunizations, and chronic disease prevention and management education have been provided to 800+ Hardin County, Ohio, residents.

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.

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.

Rural Project Examples: Healthcare needs and services