Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community health workers
Connected Care for Older Adults: A Pilot Intervention Engaging Community Health Workers to Advance Age-Friendly Care in Rural Oregon
Describes a pilot program implementing the 4Ms of the Age-Friendly Health System framework by embedding community health workers in rural primary care teams for 388 older adult medically frail patients. Assesses patient and clinician satisfaction and associated healthcare utilization.
Author(s): Bryanna De Lima, Lindsay Miller, Elizabeth Foster, Jodi Ready, Elizabeth Eckstrom
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2026
Date: 01/2026
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Describes a pilot program implementing the 4Ms of the Age-Friendly Health System framework by embedding community health workers in rural primary care teams for 388 older adult medically frail patients. Assesses patient and clinician satisfaction and associated healthcare utilization.
Author(s): Bryanna De Lima, Lindsay Miller, Elizabeth Foster, Jodi Ready, Elizabeth Eckstrom
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2026
Date: 01/2026
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Leveraging Community Health Workers' Deep Community Knowledge to Address Food and Nutrition Security in Appalachia
Examines professional characteristics and knowledge of rural Appalachian community health workers in Kentucky and West Virginia, based on data from online surveys and phone interviews conducted from January to May 2019. Identifies culturally sensitive practices around food insecurity.
Author(s): Alexis Kimbro Scott, Melissa D. Olfert, Dawn Brewer, Makenzie Barr, Julie Plasencia
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 7(4), 89-99
Date: 12/2025
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Examines professional characteristics and knowledge of rural Appalachian community health workers in Kentucky and West Virginia, based on data from online surveys and phone interviews conducted from January to May 2019. Identifies culturally sensitive practices around food insecurity.
Author(s): Alexis Kimbro Scott, Melissa D. Olfert, Dawn Brewer, Makenzie Barr, Julie Plasencia
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 7(4), 89-99
Date: 12/2025
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Use of Return on Investment Analysis on Community Health Worker Programs
Describes ways in which a return on investment analysis helps evaluate the economic impact of community health worker programs. Includes brief descriptions of notable examples.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: MHP Salud
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Describes ways in which a return on investment analysis helps evaluate the economic impact of community health worker programs. Includes brief descriptions of notable examples.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: MHP Salud
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Community Health Workers and Rural Age-Friendly Care
Discusses the roles of community health workers (CHWs) in enhancing access, quality, and affordability of healthcare for older adults in rural areas. Describes challenges and opportunities for integrating CHWs into rural health systems. Offers policy and action recommendations to enable and support CHWs in improving healthcare for rural older adults.
Author(s): Elizabeth Eckstrom, Denise A. Hernadez, Lindsay Miller, Rebecca Yeboah
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Discusses the roles of community health workers (CHWs) in enhancing access, quality, and affordability of healthcare for older adults in rural areas. Describes challenges and opportunities for integrating CHWs into rural health systems. Offers policy and action recommendations to enable and support CHWs in improving healthcare for rural older adults.
Author(s): Elizabeth Eckstrom, Denise A. Hernadez, Lindsay Miller, Rebecca Yeboah
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Transforming Rural Health Care Through Medicaid Innovation: Tip Sheet Series
Informational tip sheets discussing the use of Medicaid innovations to assist states in creating their Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program applications. Covers issues such as behavioral health, school-based services, integrated care access, community health workers, community paramedicine, specialty care, and healthcare technology. Provides examples, strategies, Medicaid policy information, and resources.
Additional links: Improving Access to Integrated Care for Dually Eligible Individuals in Rural Areas, Leveraging Community Health Workers to Address Rural Health Care Needs, Leveraging Community Paramedicine to Address Rural Health Needs, Leveraging Peers and Lay Counselors to Address Behavioral Health Care Workforce Shortages in Rural Areas, Using Project ECHO to Deliver Specialty Care in Rural Areas, Using School-Based Services to Improve Access to Preventive Health Care for Children in Rural Areas, Using Tech-Enabled Solutions to Improve Care Quality and Access in Rural Areas
Author(s): Molly Knowles, Nancy Archibald, Karla Silverman, Lauren Scannelli Jacobs
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Informational tip sheets discussing the use of Medicaid innovations to assist states in creating their Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program applications. Covers issues such as behavioral health, school-based services, integrated care access, community health workers, community paramedicine, specialty care, and healthcare technology. Provides examples, strategies, Medicaid policy information, and resources.
Additional links: Improving Access to Integrated Care for Dually Eligible Individuals in Rural Areas, Leveraging Community Health Workers to Address Rural Health Care Needs, Leveraging Community Paramedicine to Address Rural Health Needs, Leveraging Peers and Lay Counselors to Address Behavioral Health Care Workforce Shortages in Rural Areas, Using Project ECHO to Deliver Specialty Care in Rural Areas, Using School-Based Services to Improve Access to Preventive Health Care for Children in Rural Areas, Using Tech-Enabled Solutions to Improve Care Quality and Access in Rural Areas
Author(s): Molly Knowles, Nancy Archibald, Karla Silverman, Lauren Scannelli Jacobs
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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2024-2025 Alabama AHEC Annual Report
Reports on activities in 2024-2025, with sections on the Alabama AHEC Scholars Program, pathway programs, webinars, community health workers, community events, tax incentives, community-based training, and continuing education. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Alabama AHEC Network
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Reports on activities in 2024-2025, with sections on the Alabama AHEC Scholars Program, pathway programs, webinars, community health workers, community events, tax incentives, community-based training, and continuing education. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Alabama AHEC Network
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A Cross-Sectional Survey of Community Health Workers and Their Roles in Indiana
Examines the community health worker (CHW) workforce in Indiana. Utilizes self-reported survey data to provide a profile of CHWs in Indiana according to demographics, employment characteristics, roles and responsibilities, and county location.
Author(s): Michael Scanlon, Melissa R. Thomas, Qing Tang, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 25, 1037
Date: 08/2025
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Examines the community health worker (CHW) workforce in Indiana. Utilizes self-reported survey data to provide a profile of CHWs in Indiana according to demographics, employment characteristics, roles and responsibilities, and county location.
Author(s): Michael Scanlon, Melissa R. Thomas, Qing Tang, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 25, 1037
Date: 08/2025
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Montana AHEC Scholars - HRSA: Area Health Education Center (AHEC)
Highlights the Montana AHEC Scholars Program, which provides interdisciplinary training in behavioral health integration, telehealth, and social determinants of health, among other topics, to improve the quality and access to care in rural communities.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Montana Area Health Education Center, Montana Office of Rural Health
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Highlights the Montana AHEC Scholars Program, which provides interdisciplinary training in behavioral health integration, telehealth, and social determinants of health, among other topics, to improve the quality and access to care in rural communities.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Montana Area Health Education Center, Montana Office of Rural Health
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Stories of Impact: Lee County Health Department
Profiles the Lee County Health Department in Iowa and their work to support community health worker certification, continuing education for public health workers, mobile resource clinics, and health and human services referral processes.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Health Policy Center
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Profiles the Lee County Health Department in Iowa and their work to support community health worker certification, continuing education for public health workers, mobile resource clinics, and health and human services referral processes.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Health Policy Center
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The Evolution and Promise of Age-Friendly Ecosystems in Rural Communities
Notes the challenges of aging in rural communities and highlights the National Rural Age-Friendly Initiative (NRAFI) by the National Rural Health Association and The John A. Hartford Foundation. NRAFI works to promote cross-sector collaboration to address those common challenges. Describes the NRAFI's work to date in creating and disseminating information, training community health workers, and building a networking infrastructure to facilitate collaboration.
Author(s): Rebecca Yeboah, Laura B. Hudson, K. Piper Martin
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Society on Aging
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Notes the challenges of aging in rural communities and highlights the National Rural Age-Friendly Initiative (NRAFI) by the National Rural Health Association and The John A. Hartford Foundation. NRAFI works to promote cross-sector collaboration to address those common challenges. Describes the NRAFI's work to date in creating and disseminating information, training community health workers, and building a networking infrastructure to facilitate collaboration.
Author(s): Rebecca Yeboah, Laura B. Hudson, K. Piper Martin
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Society on Aging
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