Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community engagement and volunteerism
Conducting Research That Matters to Rural Practice and Communities
Commentary describing activities designed to improve rural clinical and community engagement in research led by the Oregon Rural Practice Research Network and the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) region Practice and Research Network. Features example solutions for meaningful engagement.
Author(s): Sebastian T. Tong, Melinda M. Davis, Allison M. Cole
Citation: Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 38(2), 603-606
Date: 08/2025
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Commentary describing activities designed to improve rural clinical and community engagement in research led by the Oregon Rural Practice Research Network and the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) region Practice and Research Network. Features example solutions for meaningful engagement.
Author(s): Sebastian T. Tong, Melinda M. Davis, Allison M. Cole
Citation: Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 38(2), 603-606
Date: 08/2025
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Rural Hospital Experiences in the Colorado Hospital Transformation Program
Provides an overview of the Colorado Hospital Transformation Program (CO HTP), a 5-year program that ties Medicaid supplemental payments to hospitals' ability to meet performance targets through September 2026. Describes the experiences of three Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and explores how CO HTP impacts rural hospitals. Covers planning and community engagement, quality of care, and healthcare costs.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Provides an overview of the Colorado Hospital Transformation Program (CO HTP), a 5-year program that ties Medicaid supplemental payments to hospitals' ability to meet performance targets through September 2026. Describes the experiences of three Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and explores how CO HTP impacts rural hospitals. Covers planning and community engagement, quality of care, and healthcare costs.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Idaho Hispanic Statewide Healthcare Plan
Identifies themes from 400 focus group participants at the July 2024 Idaho Hispanic/American Indian Healthcare Conference regarding accessibility to healthcare, healthcare workforce, and community engagement. Offers recommendations to policymakers, community organizations, and the healthcare industry. Includes county-level data for distribution of the Hispanic population, Medicaid and Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment rate changes, primary care physician distribution, uninsured rates, and poverty rates.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs
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Identifies themes from 400 focus group participants at the July 2024 Idaho Hispanic/American Indian Healthcare Conference regarding accessibility to healthcare, healthcare workforce, and community engagement. Offers recommendations to policymakers, community organizations, and the healthcare industry. Includes county-level data for distribution of the Hispanic population, Medicaid and Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment rate changes, primary care physician distribution, uninsured rates, and poverty rates.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs
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Lifting Kids Up with Grace: How a New Mexico Community Built a Grassroots Youth and Family Center from the Ground Up
Features the GRACE Youth and Family Center for Everyone, a New Mexico grassroots initiative that offers free programming to children, teenagers, and families in a rural county with high rates of substance use.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Features the GRACE Youth and Family Center for Everyone, a New Mexico grassroots initiative that offers free programming to children, teenagers, and families in a rural county with high rates of substance use.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects In Smaller Communities
Discusses bicycle and pedestrian projects in smaller communities, with a focus on community planning and involvement, funding, and policy support. Includes information about the importance of active transportation on population health, community engagement and safety, environmental health, and resilient infrastructure.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Development Organizations
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Discusses bicycle and pedestrian projects in smaller communities, with a focus on community planning and involvement, funding, and policy support. Includes information about the importance of active transportation on population health, community engagement and safety, environmental health, and resilient infrastructure.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Development Organizations
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Implementation and Sustainability of Systems Change for Mental Health Promotion and Substance Misuse Prevention: A Qualitative Study
Examines the implementation and sustainability of the Indiana Regional Prevention System (RPS), a community-focused systems change program focused on mental health promotion and substance use prevention, from interviews with 9 active regional coordinators. Discusses the impact of RPS in rural communities.
Author(s): Ashlyn Burns, Haleigh Kampman, Lauren Magee, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 24, 1477
Date: 11/2024
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Examines the implementation and sustainability of the Indiana Regional Prevention System (RPS), a community-focused systems change program focused on mental health promotion and substance use prevention, from interviews with 9 active regional coordinators. Discusses the impact of RPS in rural communities.
Author(s): Ashlyn Burns, Haleigh Kampman, Lauren Magee, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 24, 1477
Date: 11/2024
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A Toolkit for Developing Local Multisector Plans for Aging in Rural Areas
Offers 10 steps for developing a master plan for aging with rural focus, covering leadership development, community engagement, implementation planning, evaluation, and sustainability. Highlights rural-specific challenges for aging in rural communities.
Additional links: One Pager
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: The SCAN Foundation
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Offers 10 steps for developing a master plan for aging with rural focus, covering leadership development, community engagement, implementation planning, evaluation, and sustainability. Highlights rural-specific challenges for aging in rural communities.
Additional links: One Pager
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: The SCAN Foundation
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Rural Aging Action Network: Lessons from an Innovative Model for Mobilizing Whole Communities and Empowering Older Adults Across Rural America
Highlights the work of the Rural Aging Action Network (RAAN), a national collaborative that works to expand community-based services and supports to aid independence for older adults. Offers 7 steps for implementing a RAAN with a focus on continuous community involvement and ongoing evaluation.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Molly Wylie, Ashley Washington, Verena Cimarolli, Regan McManus, Robyn Stone
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organizations: LeadingAge, Lutheran Services in America
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Highlights the work of the Rural Aging Action Network (RAAN), a national collaborative that works to expand community-based services and supports to aid independence for older adults. Offers 7 steps for implementing a RAAN with a focus on continuous community involvement and ongoing evaluation.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Molly Wylie, Ashley Washington, Verena Cimarolli, Regan McManus, Robyn Stone
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organizations: LeadingAge, Lutheran Services in America
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Youth in Crisis: How an Innovative Program is Addressing Pediatric Mental Health
Highlights a New Hampshire pediatric behavioral health training program using the Project ECHO model. Discusses access to care, workforce shortages, benefits of collaboration, and community engagement. Transcript beneath the audio player.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Highlights a New Hampshire pediatric behavioral health training program using the Project ECHO model. Discusses access to care, workforce shortages, benefits of collaboration, and community engagement. Transcript beneath the audio player.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Resilience Planning: What Communities Can Do to Keep Hazards from Turning into Disasters
Provides guidance for communities of all sizes to integrate resilience objectives in their long-term planning. Discusses how to work through resilience planning and includes examples from a rural Southampton Township in New Jersey.
Author(s): David R. Mizzen
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
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Provides guidance for communities of all sizes to integrate resilience objectives in their long-term planning. Discusses how to work through resilience planning and includes examples from a rural Southampton Township in New Jersey.
Author(s): David R. Mizzen
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
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