Rural Project Examples Addressing Wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention

Healthy Adams County
Updated/reviewed August 2022

Need: Health initiatives in rural Pennsylvania communities to address locally-identified health disparities.
Intervention: Healthy Adams County was created by its rural community members to promote community-wide health.
Results: Community task forces have been formed to address breast cancer prevention, food policies, behavioral health, health literacy, oral health, tobacco prevention, and other rural, community-identified needs.

Healthy Places NC
Updated/reviewed July 2022

Need: Due to systemic issues and historic lack of investment, people living in under-resourced rural communities in North Carolina have poorer health than those living in urban areas.
Intervention: Funded by the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Healthy Places NC is investing $100 million over 10 years in rural North Carolina counties to improve residents' health.
Results: As of July 2021, the Trust has invested more than $75 million in 10 Healthy Places NC counties.

Catalysts for Community Health
Updated/reviewed June 2022

Need: To help low-income and rural community members access health information at their libraries.
Intervention: C4CH pilot-tested an interdisciplinary program of study designed to train Master of Library and Information Science students to become health information resources for underserved communities.
Results: The cohort of 10 students is graduating in summer 2022.

South Dakota Harvest of the Month Program
Updated/reviewed May 2022

Need: To encourage children to make healthy eating choices through learning and tasting.
Intervention: Brief, fun, and informative presentations and tastings for children on over 42 different fruits and vegetables.
Results: Participants are exposed to new foods and show more interest in healthy eating.

Schools as a Hub for Health
Updated/reviewed April 2022

Need: To improve health outcomes in rural Appalachian Ohio.
Intervention: Schools as a Hub for Health promotes holistic wellness for the whole community by creating or bringing in programs that support physical, mental, and social health.
Results: The project has gained administrator buy-in and was featured in a December 2016 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps webinar.

Healthy Monadnock Alliance
Updated/reviewed February 2022

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.

Spit It Out-West Virginia
Updated/reviewed January 2022

Need: In the years prior to 2008, McDowell County, West Virginia, had high rates of tobacco use.
Intervention: The Spit It Out-West Virginia program (2008-2010) was created to increase access to tobacco cessation and prevention resources.
Results: Hundreds of people were provided with tobacco cessation efforts, 5 workplaces became tobacco free, and tobacco control efforts continue today.

Coast to Forest: Mental Health Promotion in Rural Oregon
Added November 2021

Need: To promote mental health and prevent substance use disorders in Oregon.
Intervention: Coast to Forest strengthens local capacity through training and community education.
Results: In its first year, the project trained 195 individuals across Oregon in Mental Health First Aid and developed 36 county-level resource guides.

Something to Smile About: Preventive Dental Care for Garrett County
Updated/reviewed July 2021

Need: In rural Garrett County, Maryland, a 1998 community survey found that 41% of kindergarten students had untreated dental decay, and many dentists in the area were not willing to see patients with medical assistance or state health insurance plans.
Intervention: In 1999, the Garrett County Health Department started the Something to Smile About program to improve access to dental care and help dentists negotiate higher reimbursement rates from managed care organizations.
Results: The program established a community dental clinic, provided care to thousands of individuals, and negotiated 30% higher rates for dental service reimbursement.

On the Move! Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment & Education (Operation UNITE)
Updated/reviewed February 2021

Need: To decrease illicit drug and alcohol use in the Central Appalachian region of Kentucky, where many schools had no type of prevention curriculum.
Intervention: Using engaging simulations and presentations, the project delivers substance use prevention education to middle school and high school students.
Results: Post-test surveys show that thousands of students are reached through the "On the Move!" project and gain positive knowledge on the dangers of substance use.

Rural Project Examples: Wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention