July 24, 2024
For decades, community health workers (CHWs) provided their services outside usual healthcare reimbursement models. In recent years, with research supporting CHWs as professionals effectively assisting patients with navigating health-related social determinants, federal and private payers are exploring reimbursement mechanisms. Four rural healthcare organizations share both the impact and the continued sustainability challenges — and successes — of their CHW programs.
July 10, 2024
Timely interventions and support can be life-changing for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families, but are often inaccessible in rural communities.
June 12, 2024
While loneliness and social isolation are often viewed as individual problems or even personal failings, there is growing awareness of the structural factors contributing to widespread disconnection. Amid a national "loneliness epidemic," some rural leaders are finding ways to help their neighbors connect.
April 24, 2024
A growing number of rural hospital leaders are beginning to view their infrastructure, purchasing, and investment strategies as crucial extensions of their efforts to improve community health — and, in the long term, bolster their bottom line.
March 27, 2024
Strategic collaboration allows rural organizations to combine resources and expertise to improve care and patient outcomes. Southern Illinois Healthcare, the Iowa Primary Care Association, and Minnesota's Winona Community HUB share how strategic collaboration has helped them conduct community health needs assessments, provide technical assistance to community health centers, connect patients to food and housing, and much more.
March 13, 2024
Studies find that rural people have higher rates of hearing loss than urban people but face significant barriers to care. Experts from a hearing clinic in South Dakota, a telehealth program in Alaska, and a nationally available agriculture safety program discuss these barriers, ways to improve access to hearing care, and the importance of hearing conservation.
February 7, 2024
Hoarding disorder can lead to serious health risks and a hazardous home environment, with older adults especially vulnerable – but in rural places, diagnosing and treating the condition can be a challenge.
January 24, 2024
Produce prescription programs have gained popularity in recent years as a model for addressing food insecurity and diet-related disease. While such programs are still uncommon in rural areas, those that do exist report wide-ranging impacts on participants and local food systems.
December 13, 2023
As the pandemic receded, many rural healthcare providers began to feel the acute effects of another crisis impacting communities across the country: a severe local housing shortage. In response, some organizations are forming unique partnerships and implementing creative solutions.
