Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community engagement and volunteerism
Public Health Ethics and Stakeholder Engagement: Considerations and Practices for Local Health Departments
Toolkit providing strategies and resources on the use of stakeholder engagement to support public health ethics in local health departments. Includes action steps and case studies, and highlights ethical considerations related to community engagement and collaboration. See PDF pages 12-14 for a case study on access to care in rural areas.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Toolkit providing strategies and resources on the use of stakeholder engagement to support public health ethics in local health departments. Includes action steps and case studies, and highlights ethical considerations related to community engagement and collaboration. See PDF pages 12-14 for a case study on access to care in rural areas.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Awakening the Seeds In Native Youth: Native Farm to School Evaluation Report
Discusses the Native Farm to School project, a food systems initiative that supports tribal communities in integrating sustainable cultural practices, land stewardship, and traditional foods into their local Indigenous food systems. Provides details on a 2023-2025 USDA-FNS and Newman's Own Foundation grant that enabled 16 tribal communities across the U.S. to revitalize their food systems through school programming and community partnerships.
Author(s): Leah Simeon, Richard Elm-Hill, Cetan Christensen, et al.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: First Nations Development Institute
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Discusses the Native Farm to School project, a food systems initiative that supports tribal communities in integrating sustainable cultural practices, land stewardship, and traditional foods into their local Indigenous food systems. Provides details on a 2023-2025 USDA-FNS and Newman's Own Foundation grant that enabled 16 tribal communities across the U.S. to revitalize their food systems through school programming and community partnerships.
Author(s): Leah Simeon, Richard Elm-Hill, Cetan Christensen, et al.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: First Nations Development Institute
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Maternal Chronic Disease Prevention in Rural America: A Life Course Perspective
Examines maternal chronic disease management in rural areas of the United States. Discusses social determinants of health and maternal health disparities specific to rural areas. Provides policy, public health surveillance, and community engagement approaches to address the rural maternal health crisis.
Author(s): Kobi V Ajayi, Emesomhi Eboreime, Alva Ferdinand, Ninfa Purcell, Robin Page
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
Date: 12/2025
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Examines maternal chronic disease management in rural areas of the United States. Discusses social determinants of health and maternal health disparities specific to rural areas. Provides policy, public health surveillance, and community engagement approaches to address the rural maternal health crisis.
Author(s): Kobi V Ajayi, Emesomhi Eboreime, Alva Ferdinand, Ninfa Purcell, Robin Page
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
Date: 12/2025
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In Rural Communities, Where Child Care Is Often Scarce, Healthcare Organizations Are Finding Creative Ways to Help
Features rural healthcare organizations in Indiana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin that have partnered with childcare providers, schools, and other organizations to support affordable child care in their communities.
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Features rural healthcare organizations in Indiana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin that have partnered with childcare providers, schools, and other organizations to support affordable child care in their communities.
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Co-Creating and Disseminating Substance Use and Vaping Educational Videos, Question Prompt Lists, and Other Resources in Partnership with Community Organizations and Youth in Western North Carolina
Describes the development of and evaluates the social media reach of a youth empowerment program addressing substance use in rural North Carolina. Discusses the inclusion of youth in the development process.
Author(s): Betsy Sleath, Abena A. Adjei, Jeremy Lowery, et al.
Citation: PEC Innovation, 7
Date: 12/2025
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Describes the development of and evaluates the social media reach of a youth empowerment program addressing substance use in rural North Carolina. Discusses the inclusion of youth in the development process.
Author(s): Betsy Sleath, Abena A. Adjei, Jeremy Lowery, et al.
Citation: PEC Innovation, 7
Date: 12/2025
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Unlocking Local Leadership: Why Rural People Step Forward to Help Their Communities
Reports on attitudes toward and experiences of community engagement and formal leadership among people in rural areas via a poll conducted in June and July of 2025. Provides data on rural quality of life, community cohesion, community involvement, and facilitators and obstacles to leadership, with urban data comparisons for select topics.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Gallup, LOR Foundation
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Reports on attitudes toward and experiences of community engagement and formal leadership among people in rural areas via a poll conducted in June and July of 2025. Provides data on rural quality of life, community cohesion, community involvement, and facilitators and obstacles to leadership, with urban data comparisons for select topics.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Gallup, LOR Foundation
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Creating Rural Physician Training Sites: Not Easy, Not Simple, But Happening With Federal Support
Features insights from Rural Residency Planning and Development grantees in Georgia, Oregon, and Missouri. Focuses on the challenges, successes, and community impact of their new rural residency startup work.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Features insights from Rural Residency Planning and Development grantees in Georgia, Oregon, and Missouri. Focuses on the challenges, successes, and community impact of their new rural residency startup work.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Communities That Care: The Power of Giving with Sanford Health
A conversation with Sanford Health's president and CE0, Bill Gassen, and chief philanthropy officer, Deb Koski, about philanthropy to support healthcare access in rural Midwestern communities. Focuses on community engagement and collaboration.
Author(s): Tom Haederle, Bill Gassen, Sue Ellen Wagner, Deb Koski
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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A conversation with Sanford Health's president and CE0, Bill Gassen, and chief philanthropy officer, Deb Koski, about philanthropy to support healthcare access in rural Midwestern communities. Focuses on community engagement and collaboration.
Author(s): Tom Haederle, Bill Gassen, Sue Ellen Wagner, Deb Koski
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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What Makes a Rural Community Age-Friendly?
Brief discussing key factors for making a rural community age-friendly based on interviews with 25 older adults and 36 community leaders and service providers in 4 rural Iowa towns. Discusses rural challenges, volunteer run services, and social networks. Offers policy recommendations based on findings.
Author(s): Ilona Matysiak
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Population Research Network
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Brief discussing key factors for making a rural community age-friendly based on interviews with 25 older adults and 36 community leaders and service providers in 4 rural Iowa towns. Discusses rural challenges, volunteer run services, and social networks. Offers policy recommendations based on findings.
Author(s): Ilona Matysiak
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Population Research Network
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Strong Communities Start Here: Introducing Missouri's Civic Muscle Index
A recorded webinar that describes the development of the Civic Muscle Index, an interactive tool that measures healthy communities at the county level in Missouri. Focuses on domains such as belonging, social contribution, leadership, and community vitality. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slides
Author(s): Claire Wolff Rippel, Angela Johnson, Jamie Kleinsorge
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
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A recorded webinar that describes the development of the Civic Muscle Index, an interactive tool that measures healthy communities at the county level in Missouri. Focuses on domains such as belonging, social contribution, leadership, and community vitality. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slides
Author(s): Claire Wolff Rippel, Angela Johnson, Jamie Kleinsorge
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
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