Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community engagement and volunteerism
Designing Participant-Centered Non-Congregate Summer Meal Programs
A recorded webinar that discusses non-congregate meal programs that serve rural populations in the summer. Focuses on the Second Harvest program in rural Florida and how they incorporated participant feedback and collaborated with community members. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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A recorded webinar that discusses non-congregate meal programs that serve rural populations in the summer. Focuses on the Second Harvest program in rural Florida and how they incorporated participant feedback and collaborated with community members. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Developing an Implementation Fidelity Measure for a Family Healthy Weight Program
Examines strategies to conduct a direct observation method to measure implementation fidelity in a micropolitan/rural community-based family healthy weight program (FHWP). Discusses the process of hiring and training community members as direct observers, utility and quality of this methodology, and potential usefulness of developing an implementation fidelity measure for assessing future programs in rural or geographically dispersed areas.
Author(s): Caitlin A. Golden, Paul A. Estabrooks, Kate A. Heelan, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 22, 53
Date: 05/2025
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Examines strategies to conduct a direct observation method to measure implementation fidelity in a micropolitan/rural community-based family healthy weight program (FHWP). Discusses the process of hiring and training community members as direct observers, utility and quality of this methodology, and potential usefulness of developing an implementation fidelity measure for assessing future programs in rural or geographically dispersed areas.
Author(s): Caitlin A. Golden, Paul A. Estabrooks, Kate A. Heelan, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 22, 53
Date: 05/2025
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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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Community-Engaged Approach to Improve Food Access and Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables in a Rural Appalachian Community
Examines a community advisory board (CAB) in Kentucky consisting of community-academic relationships focused on addressing food security. Discusses the process of forming the CAB, their engagement and contributions, and potential food access solutions that could be implemented in rural Appalachia.
Author(s): Courtney T. Luecking, Makenzie Barr-Porter, Dawn Brewer, Kathryn M. Cardarelli
Citation: Nutrients, 17(3), 431
Date: 01/2025
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Examines a community advisory board (CAB) in Kentucky consisting of community-academic relationships focused on addressing food security. Discusses the process of forming the CAB, their engagement and contributions, and potential food access solutions that could be implemented in rural Appalachia.
Author(s): Courtney T. Luecking, Makenzie Barr-Porter, Dawn Brewer, Kathryn M. Cardarelli
Citation: Nutrients, 17(3), 431
Date: 01/2025
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Creating a Culture of Safety: A Rural School's Story
Discusses educational issues such as mental health concerns, absenteeism, and disciplinary problems and ways to address them. Profiles the rural Silver Creek Central School District (SCCSD) in New York and their strategies to create belonging, improve mental health and community support, and provide behavioral interventions.
Author(s): Melissa Rivers, Katie Ralston
Citation: The Rural Educator, 46(6), 41-45
Date: 2025
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Discusses educational issues such as mental health concerns, absenteeism, and disciplinary problems and ways to address them. Profiles the rural Silver Creek Central School District (SCCSD) in New York and their strategies to create belonging, improve mental health and community support, and provide behavioral interventions.
Author(s): Melissa Rivers, Katie Ralston
Citation: The Rural Educator, 46(6), 41-45
Date: 2025
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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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