Rural Project Examples Addressing Population health

Updated/reviewed February 2026

Need: To increase physical activity and quality of life in rural Cuba, New Mexico.
Intervention: Step Into Cuba works to make the community more pedestrian-friendly by creating and improving hiking trails and other places to walk.
Results: This program has led to new or improved trails, sidewalks and crosswalks, lighting on streets, walking groups, and walking events, among other achievements.

Updated/reviewed January 2026

Need: Improve the oral health of children age 3-17 in rural areas of Louisiana.
Intervention: Leveraging 2012-2018 federal grant support, participating Federally Qualified Health Centers with school-based nurse practitioners were trained in oral health assessments and fluoride varnish application. When needed, dental referrals were also made. Interventions were tracked by dental case managers.
Results: After grant cycle completion, these oral health interventions are now fully integrated into routine school-based care health examinations with intervention data included in required annual reporting.

Updated/reviewed September 2025

Need: To improve the health and well-being of young people in the rural area of Massachusetts's Franklin County and North Quabbin, and to reduce youth drug and alcohol use.
Intervention: A community-based prevention coalition was formed to improve youth health and well-being and reduce youth drug and alcohol use. The coalition brings together stakeholders from across the community and uses the Communities That Care evidence-based community planning system.
Results: CTC has seen significant reductions in substance abuse among local youth in the 30 rural towns they serve.

Updated/reviewed September 2025

Need: An ongoing health need to alleviate early childhood obesity in the rural Kansas counties of Marshall and Nemaha.
Intervention: 5 distinct physical and nutritional programs were introduced to 9 preschool sites through the overarching Healthy Early Learning Project (HELP).
Results: HELP comprehensively increased children's physical activity and healthy food consumption and established a sustainable presence at each preschool site.

Updated/reviewed May 2024

Need: People in rural New Mexico often found it difficult to find and utilize needed resources from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNMHSC).
Intervention: UNMHSC created Health Extension Regional Offices (HEROs), in which HERO agents live in the communities they serve, help identify health and social needs, and link them with UNMHSC and other university resources.
Results: In their regions, HERO agents' activities have been wide-ranging, including recruiting physicians, mobilizing research funds to address local priorities, working on economic development, training laypeople in Mental Health First Aid, and helping local institutions access UNMHSC resources.

Updated/reviewed March 2024

Need: To prevent or slow the progression of diabetes for at-risk residents in Rural Northeast Louisiana.
Intervention: The North Louisiana Regional Alliance developed a program that offered screenings, education, and an intense course for participants throughout the Northeast Louisiana region to lower the risk of diabetes.
Results: The program saw an overall decrease in blood sugar levels in residents who participated in their initiatives.

Updated/reviewed December 2019

Need: To educate youth about obesity and healthy lifestyle choices.
Intervention: An educational program about healthy living was implemented in Lincoln and Claiborne Parishes in Louisiana for youth ages 9-18.
Results: Youth4Health program produced greater awareness and participation in healthier lifestyles by target youth and their families, as well as church congregations.

Updated/reviewed October 2026

Need: To reduce drug overdose deaths and the spread of infectious diseases in rural Colorado.
Intervention: This program provides harm reduction and peer support to people who use drugs and to their loved ones.
Results: This program provided Narcan training to 465 individuals and distributed 2,333 doses of naloxone and 1,813 fentanyl test strips in 2025.

Updated/reviewed October 2026

Need: To reduce injuries in agricultural communities and improve emergency responders' preparedness when called to farms and ranches.
Intervention: RF-DASH equips rural fire/EMS personnel and others with agricultural health and safety knowledge and tools to pre-plan for agricultural emergencies as well as assess and then mitigate agricultural hazards.
Results: Over 500 firefighters and EMTs have received training to become RF-DASH trainers.

Added July 2026

Need: More frequent water testing among well owners in rural Connecticut.
Intervention: Initiatives through the Connecticut Institute of Water Resources that offer reduced-cost testing and educational workshops.
Results: More than 1,000 homes have received testing, with roughly 50% having at least one exceedance over Connecticut health standards.

Rural Project Examples: Population health