Rural Project Examples: Technology for health and human services

Promising Examples

Contingency Management Smoking Cessation in Appalachia

Updated/reviewed March 2026

• Need: To reduce smoking rates of pregnant adult and adolescent women in Appalachian regions of eastern Kentucky and Ohio.
• Intervention: In 2009, a web-based smoking cessation program offered monetary incentives to reduce smoking.
• Results: Participants significantly reduced smoking rates or quit altogether.

Other Project Examples

The Pennsylvania Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (PA MOUD) Technical Assistance and Quality Improvement Expansion Project

Added June 2024

• Need: To expand access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) across the state of Pennsylvania.
• Intervention: An initiative formed to provide technical assistance aimed at improving MOUD treatment capacity and quality at healthcare sites across urban and rural Pennsylvania.
• Results: In 2023, 108 providers engaged with the program, treating a total of 5,185 individuals with MOUD. Currently, the program engages partners in 20 Pennsylvania counties – serving rural populations in Crawford, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Butler, and Cambria counties.

Northern Light Health Accountable Care Organization

Updated/reviewed April 2024

• Need: To implement coordinated, integrated, and holistic healthcare to improve patient health and engagement and to reduce the overall cost of medical services in Maine.
• Intervention: The Northern Light Health ACO network launched with a focus on patient-centered care to improve overall wellness, reduce healthcare costs, and improve patient engagement and quality.
• Results: Through care coordination, Northern Light Health is enhancing provider efficiency and supporting a team approach to delivering care, leading to improved patient engagement and healthcare quality, and lowering the overall cost of care.

HCC of Lafayette County's Heath Information Technology Workgroup

Updated/reviewed December 2023

• Need: To ensure the quality and sustainability of rural West Central Missouri's health services through the use of technology.
• Intervention: The Health Care Coalition of Lafayette County convened a Health Information Technology (HIT) workgroup to establish electronic medical and prescription records, telemedicine capabilities, and training for Lafayette County and surrounding areas.
• Results: The workgroup fully equipped a local emergency department with HIT, launched electronic prescriptions for nearly a dozen Lafayette County providers, and identified acute needs hindering the adoption of electronic health records.