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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Planning and strategy methods and resources

Health Center Performance Improvement Toolkit
Offers a framework to support health center performance improvement and health outcomes across seven domains. Includes a guide to self-assessment to help health centers assess their current performance in each domain, describe future performance goals, and identify how to reach and sustain improved performance. Offers self-assessment tools, including fillable checklists for each domain, progress snapshot worksheets, and example improvement activities.
Additional links: Guide to Self-Assessment, Self-Assessment Tools
Date: 10/2024
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Primary Health Care
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Embracing the Inevitable: Succession Planning for Rural Healthcare Organizations
Explains the importance of succession planning for rural boards and CEOs. Shares a range of approaches, including written policies and mentorship, as well as offering insights from rural health leaders and resources to help begin the process of succession planning.
Author(s): Brendan Stermer
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Disparities Impact Statement
Guidance for healthcare providers and other healthcare focused organizations to identify and address health disparities among various people groups including rural and tribal communities. Offers a 5 step process for developing an action plan by identifying disparities, defining health equity goals, establishing a health equity strategy, determining organizational needs, and tracking progress.
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Community-Engaged Systems for Population Health Improvement: A Novel Approach to Improve Diabetes Outcomes in Rural Communities
Describes the design and implementation of a community-driven diabetes prevention and care management initiative focused on coalition-building and decentralized decision-making in two rural Nebraska communities. Discusses planning, capacity-building, community engagement, and sustainability.
Author(s): Kristin Pullyblank, Marisa Rosen, Christopher Wichman, et al.
Citation: Journal of Community Health, 49, 798-808
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
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A Guide to Building a Climate-Ready Rural Workforce
Guides local health departments in establishing and expanding climate and health programs for rural areas. Discusses climate-related environmental health challenges and activities, including sections on surveillance and data use, partnerships, communication and outreach, workforce development, and mental health.
Author(s): Nikita Kheni, Angana Roy, Aliya Al-Sadi, Beth Hess
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Talking about Health Disparities in Rural Contexts
Examines the concepts of health equity and health disparities in rural public health contexts. Discusses communication strategies to increase understanding and support for efforts to address health inequities in rural areas.
Author(s): Theresa L. Miller, Julie Sweetland, Luis Hestres, et al.
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: FrameWorks Institute, National Network of Public Health Institutes
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Funding Rural Futures: A Call to Action: Four Principles for Equitable, Flexible Grantmaking
Discusses best practices for funders seeking to address persistent poverty in rural communities and tribal nations, utilizing feedback from economic and community development practitioners working in persistent poverty areas. Summarizes discussion results and provides perspectives from participants on topics including grant planning and administration, project- and trust-based philanthropy, partnerships and relationship-building, and funding outcomes.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute
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Rural Health Network Development Planning Program: 2023 Grantee Directory
Detailed descriptions of 36 Rural Health Network Development Planning Program grant projects funded in fiscal year 2023. Lists grantees by organization type and focus area, including topics such as network organization and infrastructure development, increasing health system efficiencies, behavioral health, and telehealth. Includes grantee profiles describing their programs and network structures, geographic areas served, network partners, and contacts for each network.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Engaging with Rural Communities for Colorectal Cancer Screening Outreach using Modified Boot Camp Translation
Examines the use of the Boot Camp Translation (BCT) approach to engage community input on colorectal cancer screening outreach program design and messaging in rural Oregon communities. Utilizes interview data from 4 community members and 3 clinical practice staff during the period June-August 2022. Discusses barriers to screening, selected messages, and incorporation of BCT findings into program design.
Author(s): Jennifer Coury, Gloria Coronado, Emily Myers, et al.
Citation: Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 18(1), 47-59
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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Quality Improvement Workbook
Outlines seven steps of the quality improvement process. Offers interactive worksheets to help Critical Access Hospitals develop and support quality improvement goals and projects.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA) Resource Center
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