Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Community health workers
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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Mobile Health Clinics in a Rural Setting: A Cost Analysis and Time Motion Study of La Clínica in Oregon, United States
Evaluates provider time allocation and retrospective economic cost of nurse practitioner (NP) and community health worker (CHW) services through La Clínica, a Mobile Health Clinic (MHC) intervention in rural Oregon. Discusses populations served by La Clínica, including people experiencing homelessness, Native Americans, and migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Provides data on program costs and NP and CHW time use by task type and population subgroup.
Author(s): Abigail Higgins, Middy Tilghman, Tracy Kuo Lin
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 25, 97
Date: 01/2025
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Evaluates provider time allocation and retrospective economic cost of nurse practitioner (NP) and community health worker (CHW) services through La Clínica, a Mobile Health Clinic (MHC) intervention in rural Oregon. Discusses populations served by La Clínica, including people experiencing homelessness, Native Americans, and migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Provides data on program costs and NP and CHW time use by task type and population subgroup.
Author(s): Abigail Higgins, Middy Tilghman, Tracy Kuo Lin
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 25, 97
Date: 01/2025
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Texas Promotor(a) or Community Health Worker Training and Certification Program: 2024 Annual Report
Describes the Promotora or Community Health Worker (CHW) Training and Certification Program in Texas, including the number of certified community health workers, instructors, certificate graduates, and renewals. Includes the number of certified community health workers by county and the location of CHW training programs in the state.
Author(s): Beatrice Smith, Frank Luera
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
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Describes the Promotora or Community Health Worker (CHW) Training and Certification Program in Texas, including the number of certified community health workers, instructors, certificate graduates, and renewals. Includes the number of certified community health workers by county and the location of CHW training programs in the state.
Author(s): Beatrice Smith, Frank Luera
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
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Transforming Lives at the Border: How a Rural Library in San Elizario is Changing the Game
Describes how the Pete Herrera Library functions as a hub for healthcare, human services, education, and more in the rural, border community of San Elizario, Texas. Highlights the library's initiatives and strategies for supporting community health and wellness in a predominantly Spanish-speaking, under-resourced community.
Author(s): Rick Ybarra
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
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Describes how the Pete Herrera Library functions as a hub for healthcare, human services, education, and more in the rural, border community of San Elizario, Texas. Highlights the library's initiatives and strategies for supporting community health and wellness in a predominantly Spanish-speaking, under-resourced community.
Author(s): Rick Ybarra
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
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