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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Project Examples: Networking and collaboration

Effective Examples

Updated/reviewed November 2024

  • Need: Legal barriers often prevent low-income people in Southern Illinois from obtaining positive health outcomes despite receiving medical care.
  • Intervention: The Medical Legal Partnership of Southern Illinois (MLPSI) was formed to create a system where medical providers can refer patients in need of legal assistance to local attorneys.
  • Results: Over 5,700 patients have utilized MLPSI since its founding in 2002. The program has relieved over $8.1 million in medical debt for both hospitals and patients.

Promising Examples

funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Added July 2024

  • Need: Solutions for Medicare beneficiaries' post-acute care recovery gaps in Arkansas's southeast Delta Region.
  • Intervention: Supported by federal funding and their membership organization, seven hospitals implemented an evidence-supported Critical Access Hospital transitional care model.
  • Results: Participating hospitals found a significant increase in swing bed services revenue, an all-cause low readmission rate, high percentage of patients discharged to home or to an assisted living environment, and positive patient satisfaction surveys.

Updated/reviewed December 2022

  • Need: To coordinate formal and informal community-based caregivers for optimal patient experience.
  • Intervention: The Maryland Faith Health Network unites places of worship and healthcare systems in Maryland. This program aims to decrease the amount of potentially avoidable hospitalizations, improve a patient's overall wellness, and cut down on the cost of medical services.
  • Results: This model is currently running in 3 hospitals that serve both rural and urban residents in central Maryland. So far, 1,300 congregants from 70 congregations representing Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths have enrolled in the Network.

Other Project Examples

Updated/reviewed May 2025

  • Need: To expand healthcare access in rural Alabama communities.
  • Intervention: The Auburn University Rural Health Initiative is working with communities across Alabama to develop a healthcare model that includes primary care, substance use disorder treatment and mental health treatment via state-of-the-art telehealth technologies, coupled with health and wellness programs and services provided by faculty and students.
  • Results: As of 2025, there are five telehealth care stations open located in LaFayette, Boligee, Akron, Catherine, and Gainesville, Alabama. These stations have impacted over 3,400 individuals, with 187 community events, 1207 patient consultations, and 43 new health ambassadors.

Updated/reviewed April 2025

  • Need: Multiple organizations in rural east central Illinois needed a more efficient, centralized system for referring patients experiencing a behavioral health crisis to appropriate treatment services.
  • Intervention: The Regional Behavioral Health Network was established with a 24-hour toll-free crisis line, providing immediate access to trained crisis clinicians.
  • Results: Improved access to high quality behavioral healthcare for patients in rural east central Illinois.

Updated/reviewed January 2025

  • Need: To promote mental health and prevent substance use disorders in rural Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska.
  • Intervention: Coast to Forest strengthens local capacity through training, technical assistance, education, and community partnerships.
  • Results: In its five years of operation, the project has trained over 800 individuals across the Pacific Northwest in Mental Health First Aid, developed 100 county-level resource guides, organized a series of Community Conversations in five rural Oregon counties, and more.

Updated/reviewed November 2024

  • Need: To create initiatives in rural Pennsylvania communities to address locally-identified health disparities.
  • Intervention: Healthy Adams County was created by Adams County residents to promote community-wide health.
  • Results: Community task forces have been formed to address breast cancer prevention, food policies, behavioral health, health literacy, oral health, tobacco prevention, and other community-identified needs.

Updated/reviewed November 2024

  • Need: To reduce rural Oklahoma patients' risks for heart disease and stroke.
  • Intervention: Heartland OK was a care coordination model in 20 counties.
  • Results: Using a team-based care model increased patients' ability to reduce their blood pressure or achieve blood pressure control.

Updated/reviewed August 2024

  • Need: To provide accessible and affordable services to address the challenges associated with aging, serious illness, and grief across rural western Colorado.
  • Intervention: A nonprofit, community-sustained healthcare model was created to provide the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), hospice care and palliative care, as well as grief support services for individuals of all ages.
  • Results: Since 1993, HopeWest has grown to serve more than 3,000 people annually across five counties in western Colorado.

Updated/reviewed August 2024

  • Need: To enhance emergency preparedness in rural areas by providing access to training, exercises, and crucial information.
  • Intervention: SPARC, a coalition of 197 organizations in southern Illinois, focuses on emergency preparedness.
  • Results: SPARC has facilitated numerous training sessions, exercises, and community events, enhancing regional preparedness and resilience.

For examples from other sources, see: