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.
October 18, 2023
In addition to higher rates of some mental and physical health conditions, LGBTQ+ people in rural areas may also perceive discrimination or lack of understanding when accessing healthcare. Programs in Idaho and Virginia share how they're helping rural healthcare facilities provide better care.
April 5, 2023
As Program Chief of the Office of Rural Mental Health Research, Dawn Morales, PhD, discusses recent stressors such as the financial impact of natural disasters on farmers and ranchers as well as the loss of revered elders in indigenous communities due to COVID-19. She also stresses the importance of cultural competency in mental healthcare and rural-specific protective factors.
February 22, 2023
A community consortium in McKinley County brings together a range of local organizations and entities to take a holistic approach to recovery.
January 11, 2023
Oklahoma State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation prepares future doctors to work in rural and tribal settings where healthcare workers are in short supply.
October 6, 2021
Three programs across rural America demonstrate how doulas improve birth outcomes by providing prenatal, labor, and postpartum support. A New Mexico program reaches American Indian, Hispanic, and other populations who lack nearby labor/delivery units; a Minnesota program works with moms experiencing incarceration; and a North Dakota program is training postpartum doulas who will care for families impacted by opioid use disorder and other substance use.
March 17, 2021
With federal funds supporting its implementation in Oklahoma's Marshallese community, a Community Health Worker model exemplifies how culturally sensitive education can improve healthcare access, health literacy, and health outcomes.
February 24, 2021
To improve care for its American Indian and Latino patients, St. Charles Madras, a Critical Access Hospital in Oregon, created a Patient Family Advisory Council, implemented cultural competency trainings, and installed new artwork to better represent its community.
September 30, 2020
Tribal communities have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Serving the four federally recognized tribes in Maine, Wabanaki Public Health is taking a stand to address these disparities. A recipient of the Rural Tribal COVID Response (RTCR) grant, they have implemented a number of programs to meet the needs of their communities, providing support by reinforcing cultural connection even in the most difficult of times.
