Rural Project Examples Addressing Population health

Regional Oral Health Pathway
Updated/reviewed August 2023

Need: To address the oral health needs of low-income uninsured and underinsured residents in rural Appalachia.
Intervention: An oral health education program was implemented in Appalachian Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Results: This program increased oral health visits in the area and provided residents with valuable information on oral health resources and services.

Hidalgo Medical Services – Family Support Program
Updated/reviewed April 2023

Need: To reduce health disparities in two rural/frontier counties in southwest New Mexico.
Intervention: Community health workers worked with clients to help them better manage their health and promote awareness of healthy lifestyle options in the community.
Results: Better health outcomes for patients.

Franklin Cardiovascular Health Program (FCHP)
Updated/reviewed February 2023

Need: To develop sustainable, community-wide prevention methods for cardiovascular diseases in order to change behaviors and healthcare outcomes in rural Maine.
Intervention: Local community groups and Franklin Memorial Hospital staff studied mortality and hospitalization rates for 40 years in this rural, low-income area of Farmington to seek intervention methods that could address cardiovascular diseases.
Results: A decline in cardiovascular-related mortality rates and improved prevention methods for hypertension, high cholesterol, and smoking.

Salud es Vida Cervical Cancer Education
Updated/reviewed January 2023

Need: Hispanic women have the highest incidence rates of cervical cancer among any ethnicity in the United States.
Intervention: The development of a lay health worker (promotora) curriculum that provided information on cervical cancer, HPV, and the HPV vaccine to Hispanic farmworker women living in rural southern Georgia and South Carolina.
Results: Significant increases in post-test scores relating to cervical cancer knowledge and increases in positive self-efficacy among promotoras.

New Mexico Mobile Screening Program for Miners
Updated/reviewed December 2022

Need: To increase access to medical screening for miners in New Mexico.
Intervention: A mobile screening clinic with telemedicine capability screens miners for respiratory and other conditions.
Results: In a survey, 92% of miners reported their care as very good, while the other 8% reported it as good. The program has expanded to three other states.

Farm Dinner Theater
Updated/reviewed August 2022

Need: To encourage farmers to make health and safety changes on their farms.
Intervention: Farm Dinner Theater is an event in which farmers and their families watch three 10-minute plays covering health and safety topics and then discuss solutions to the issues addressed in each.
Results: In a study, farmers who attended the plays were more likely to make changes and tell others what they learned, compared to farmers who received an educational packet with the same information.

Vivir Mejor! (Live Better!) System of Diabetes Prevention and Care
Updated/reviewed August 2022

Need: To address high rates of diabetes in rural Hispanic/Latino populations near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Intervention: A comprehensive, culturally competent diabetes education program was implemented in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
Results: Since 2012, this program has helped participants better manage their diabetes and increase healthy living behaviors.

HoMBReS
Updated/reviewed February 2022

Need: To reduce the risk of HIV/STDs among Latino men living in rural regions of the United States.
Intervention: Soccer team leaders are elected and trained as lay health advisors to promote sexual health education among team members.
Results: Program participants report an increase in HIV testing, an increase in condom use, and an increase in awareness of how to prevent the transmission of HIV.

I Got You: Healthy Life Choices for Teens (IGU)
Updated/reviewed September 2020

Need: To improve awareness of behavioral and mental health issues by students in rural, east central Mississippi.
Intervention: An intensive community mental health outreach program was implemented for students in rural Mississippi.
Results: As of 2018 and on a yearly basis, 6,000 7th and 8th grade students receive mental health education on a variety of topics which improves their ability to recognize mental health issues, high risk behaviors, and their self-concept.

Trinity Hospital Twin City's Fit for Life
Updated/reviewed November 2018

Need: To reduce obesity among adults in rural east central Ohio.
Intervention: Fit for Life Replication Project for Expansion was developed to make it possible to lose weight through practicing healthier lifestyle behaviors.
Results: Out of the 443 adults who have completed the program, 81% experienced weight loss, a tangible result of the program's overarching goal to enhance levels of health and fitness.

Rural Project Examples: Population health