January 25, 2023
Rural teens face a higher prevalence of behavior problems, anxiety, and suicide rates than their urban peers, but there are fewer behavioral health providers in rural areas to help these teens. A trauma therapist in rural West Virginia and a school program in rural Wisconsin incorporate teenagers' strengths and interests and connect them with trusted adults in order to improve their mental health.
March 23, 2022
Parent Partners is a statewide program in Iowa that pairs families whose children have been removed from the home with mentors with shared experience who have successfully navigated the state's Department of Human Services (DHS) system. These mentors coach, advocate, and connect their clients with community resources.
June 3, 2020
Vaping among teens is on the rise, and rural teenagers have little access to cessation programs. California-based Being Adept and two Tennessee counties are helping their students learn how vaping negatively impacts their health while My Life, My Quit is helping teens in 18 states quit.
April 29, 2020
COVID-19 physical distancing measures impact vulnerable populations, including rural children experiencing maltreatment and those living in situations of intimate partner violence. Clinicians and other experts said community awareness, frank discussions, and changing service delivery approaches can make a difference.
April 8, 2020
In the past five years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has delivered two reports to Congress concerning traumatic brain injury. Concussions, or mild traumatic brain injuries, are common. With perspectives gained from their varied roles, five experts share information on concussions in rural America.
February 26, 2020
A Federally Qualified Health Center used grant support to provide primary care oral health assessment and fluoride varnishes in 12 school-based health centers in nine Louisiana parishes, hoping to provide thousands of children with better oral health in the present as well as into adulthood.
September 25, 2019
Vaccination rates for rural children and adolescents are lower than for their urban counterparts. A nurse practitioner in Louisiana and a former professor in Kentucky share how they've increased vaccination rates in their communities.
May 29, 2019
The Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) is using federal funding to support a project that, to date, has linked 18 rural schools with 10 local provider organizations, delivering school-based telehealth to hundreds of the state's rural students. "Virtual telehealth librarians" from another federally-funded IRHA project, provided technical assistance.
April 17, 2019
Wildfires. Child abuse. Sexual assault. The negative and ongoing effects of these experiences are the reason communities and medical providers are using an approach called trauma-informed care. This article features ways trauma is understood and treated in a rural community, a Wyoming pediatrician's clinic, and for nurses providing assault exams.
July 25, 2018
The connection between bullying and youth suicide in rural Union Parish, Louisiana, led a Critical Access Hospital to create an anti-bullying program. Together with local law enforcement, they teach students in elementary through high school the negative effects of peer victimization and how to model positive social behavior.
