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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community and faith-based initiatives

Promising Practice: Forum on Aging in Rural Oregon Brings Together Innovative Ideas and Programs
Features a promising practice on rural aging from Oregon State Office of Rural Health. The annual Forum on Aging in Rural Oregon allows community organizations to come together to share ideas and resources on what works to address the needs of an aging population in their communities.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Multilevel Faith-Based Public Health Initiative in Rural Alabama, 2017
Examines the impact of Live Well Faith Communities, a 9-week, faith-based health promotion initiative undertaken in 14 faith communities in rural Alabama. Describes faith community policy and environmental changes related to promoting healthy eating and physical activity. Also discusses participant lifestyle changes.
Author(s): Alicia R. Powers, Ruth W. Brock, Katie Funderburk, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Improving Physical Activity and Outdoor Recreation in Rural Alabama Through Community Coalitions
Describes a community-based obesity reduction and prevention initiative which used community coalitions to implement research-based interventions. Interventions focused on improving opportunities for physical activity in 14 Alabama counties with high rates of obesity. Reports on the types of interventions implemented and their potential reach.
Author(s): William M. Carter, Wayde C. Morse, Ruth W. Brock, Barbara Struempler
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Implementation of Liver Cancer Education Among Health Care Providers and Community Coalitions in the Cherokee Nation
Describes an intervention in 2017-2018 to plan and implement activities to increase knowledge and awareness of liver cancer prevention among Cherokee Nation health care providers. Includes recommendations to improve viral hepatitis surveillance, increase support for strategies to eliminate hepatitis B virus, and enhance services including risk factor screening and serologic testing.
Author(s): Behnoosh Momin, Jorge Mera, Whitney Essex, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
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Obesity and Diabetes in the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska: From Community Engagement to Action, 2014-2019
Describes interventions implemented on the Winnebago Tribe reservation in rural Nebraska and Iowa, focusing on community-selected and culturally adapted policies, systems, and environmental improvements to reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes. Strategies include infant and childhood obesity prevention education, promotion of healthy foods and beverages, and improvements to pedestrian safety and built environment.
Author(s): Larry Alonso, Lorelei Decora, Ursula Bauer
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
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A Rising Tide: Increasing Rural Local Health Department Capacity to Address the Social Determinants of Health
Describes unique challenges faced by rural local health departments (LHDs), as well as assets such as community connectivity and trusted local institutions. Explores the ways in which partnerships, leadership, community engagement, data and evaluation, and community health improvement planning function as foundational elements in addressing social determinants of health in rural communities.
Author(s): Karla Feeser, Melissa Mayer, Ashley Edmiston
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Use of Mass Communication by Public Health Programs in Nonmetropolitan Regions
Essay describing the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's efforts to encourage health departments, tribes, universities, and community-based organizations in rural areas to use mass communications as a tool to address racial and ethnic disparities.
Author(s): Jennifer M. Kreslake, Allison Elkins, Christopher N. Thomas, Suzanne Gates, Thomas Lehman
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
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Opportunities and Challenges Addressing Access to Healthy Food in Five Rural Louisiana Food Stores
Results of a rural food store intervention implemented in 3 Louisiana parishes where obesity prevalence was greater than 40%. Describes implications for public health and offers recommendations for future interventions.
Author(s): Michelle Kendall, Stephanie T. Broyles, Jamila Freightman, Melissa Cater, Denise Holston
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
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National Rural Health Association: Rural Veterans and Their Families Policy Paper
Policy brief focused on supporting the health of rural veterans and their families from a community-based systems perspective. Addresses public-private partnerships, faith-based solutions, leveraging the stories of veterans using media, and the financial and economic security of rural veterans.
Author(s): David Albright, Carter Florence
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Extending Access to Care Across the Rural US South: Preliminary Results from the Alabama eHealth Programme
Describes Alabama eHealth, a community-based initiative of Medical Advocacy and Outreach (MAO) that provides telehealth services to rural residents living with HIV. Discusses staff interviews describing barriers and successes to implementing the program. Evaluates the effectiveness and sustainability of the program by tracking patient appointment completion rates, CD4 counts, and viral loads. Table 1 provides an overview of Alabama eHealth affiliates and their roles in providing telehealth services.
Author(s): Kriti Jain, Prashanth Bhat, Cathy Maulsby, et al.
Citation: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 25(5): 301-309
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
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