Rural Project Examples Addressing Networking and collaboration

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.

Updated/reviewed August 2026

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.

Added August 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 September 2026

Need: Indiana's rural communities face significant behavioral health and primary care shortages. Providers require trained frontline workers who can support care navigation, address social drivers of health, and expand access to prevention, intervention, and recovery services.
Intervention: A statewide training and workforce development model that certifies Community Health Workers (CHWs) and dual CHW/PRSS (Peer Recovery Support Specialists) to serve in rural settings.
Results: ASPIN has trained and certified 2,235 Community Health Workers, expanded PRSS training opportunities, and supported rural partners statewide through CHW training and workforce development programs.

Updated/reviewed August 2026

Need: Child care programs across Wisconsin continue to face serious business, staffing, financial, and operational pressures that affect program stability and families' access to care.
Intervention: The Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network helps regulated child care programs strengthen business practices, access coaching and technical assistance, use shared resources, and connect with supports that reduce administrative burden.
Results: WEESSN has grown from a regional pilot into a statewide shared services model, currently serving over 3,000 programs and maintaining an active coaching caseload of up to 300 programs per year.

Updated/reviewed July 2026

Need: To address the specific health needs of the rural Columbia Gorge region in Oregon and Washington.
Intervention: The Collective Impact Health Specialist identifies community needs, convenes community partners to design initiatives that address those needs, and secures funding for health-related initiatives.
Results: Thanks to the CIHS model, the Columbia Gorge region has received $39.2 million since 2014, and the North Coast region has received $9 million.

Updated/reviewed July 2026

Need: To provide blood transfusions in the ambulance on the way to a hospital.
Intervention: The Montana Interfacility Blood Network includes 48 healthcare facilities that stock blood and allow ambulances to pick up units of blood while transporting a patient.
Results: Since its launch, the network has helped numerous patients.

Updated/reviewed June 2026

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: To date, there are five telehealth care stations open, located in LaFayette, Boligee, Akron, Catherine, and Gainesville, Alabama. These stations have impacted over 8,207 individuals, with 284 community events, 3,565 patient consultations, and 50 new health ambassadors.

Updated/reviewed May 2026

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.

Added March 2026

Need: To strengthen and grow capacity for the community health worker (CHW) workforce in rural Arizona.
Intervention: RAzCHOW is building rural workforce infrastructure through a coordinated network model that strengthens CHWs and the organizations that employ them.
Results: RAzCHOW has reported increased network capacity, trainings for CHWs, utilization of CHW services, and integration into healthcare teams and care coordination.

Rural Project Examples: Networking and collaboration