Rural Project Examples Addressing Population health

Mind Your BEAT

Updated/reviewed January 2026

Need: Rural cancer survivors report lower levels of physical activity and higher rates of psychosocial distress compared to their urban counterparts.
Intervention: Researchers collaborated with a rural-serving organization in northeast Texas to test a 3-month intervention which enhanced an existing exercise program with behavioral health education, yoga, and home-based exercise components.
Results: Program participants were twice as likely to report meeting physical activity recommendations at post-intervention than participants in a control group and reported significant reductions in psychosocial distress.

Updated/reviewed January 2026

Need: In 2006, Pennsylvania agricultural producers and farmworker population needed guidance for Environmental Protection Agency agricultural pesticide safety compliance.
Intervention: In collaboration with Pennsylvania State University agriculture and pesticide experts, the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health developed a comprehensive education and technical assistance outreach program with materials — including videos — to provide updated compliance information in a language- and custom-appropriate format.
Results: Continuing today with funding through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the program is delivered by a Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Specialist who provides the following: WPS technical and compliance assistance to nearly 2,000 farms, greenhouses, nurseries, orchards and other agricultural production sites and conference and event presentations and exhibits reaching thousands.

Updated/reviewed November 2025

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 healthcare access, female cancers, food policies, behavioral health, children's health & nutrition, domestic violence/sexual assault, and other community-identified needs.

Updated/reviewed November 2025

Need: Improved health outcomes for Monadnock Region, a rural area of New Hampshire.
Intervention: A wide-scale effort across multiple sectors is aiming to improve health outcomes throughout the region.
Results: Community health trends have been tracked over time, and progress on goals such as increasing the number of residents with healthcare coverage, opportunities for physical activity, access to healthy foods, and smoking cessation has been made.

Updated/reviewed November 2025

Need: To support pregnant and parenting women with a history of substance use, mental health, or co-occurring disorders in rural areas of Montana.
Intervention: One Health, a consortium of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), developed a team of "recovery doulas" – individuals who are dual-certified as doulas and peer-support specialists. The One Health recovery doula program offers group and individual services to women and their partners from pregnancy through the first years of parenthood.
Results: A team of four recovery doulas (or doulas-in-training) employed by One Health offer services in 8 rural eastern Montana counties. One Health has also successfully trained and certified 35 Peer Recovery Doulas statewide through their Peer Recovery Doula certification curriculum.

Updated/reviewed October 2025

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 250 firefighters and EMTs have received training to become RF-DASH trainers.

Updated/reviewed October 2025

Need: To reduce risk of obesity and chronic disease in rural northwest Illinois.
Intervention: Win With Wellness (WWW) collaborated with community organizations and worksites to improve physical activity and eating behaviors and reduce weight among adults using a multi-component approach.
Results: From 2015 to 2018, the two participating counties initiated 28 Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) groups with 367 participants. In the second round of funding, WWW recruited 183 participants for 9 TOPS groups and 8 community Heart-to-Heart sites.

Updated/reviewed September 2025

Need: To improve health outcomes in rural Appalachian Ohio.
Intervention: Schools as a Hub for Health promoted holistic wellness for the whole community by creating or bringing in programs that support physical, mental, and social health.
Results: The project gained administrator buy-in and facilitated the development of a variety of health-focused school-based programs.

Updated/reviewed June 2025

Need: Teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and mental health challenges in adolescent girls were concerns for members of Union Parish, Louisiana.
Intervention: Union General Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital, created the program It's a Girl Thing: Making Proud Choices to teach prevention, self-confidence, personal responsibility, and mental well-being to teen girls.
Results: Teen pregnancy rates in Union Parish have dropped by more than 40% since the start of the program, significantly exceeding the program's initial goal of 5%. Graduation rates have also increased. The addition of Together We Can Be Bully Free as an integral part of It's a Girl Thing has further expanded mental health support for participants.

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.