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The Rural Monitor
Articles by Topic: Families

Parent Partners Provide Mentoring and Support in Rural Iowa

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.

Doulas Provide Support for Maternal and Infant Health in Rural Communities

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.

Rising from the Ashes: How Trauma-Informed Care Nurtures Healing in Rural America

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.

Confronting Adverse Childhood Experiences to Improve Rural Kids' Lifelong Health

September 20, 2017
Studies show that the more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) one has, the higher the risk of chronic health conditions, anxiety disorders, low life potential, and even early death. A sense of urgency for early intervention spurred one western North Carolina school district and a Native American tribe in Wisconsin to act. Read more about how their programs confront ACEs and build resiliency to overcome them.

Over Tea, South Carolina Girls Learn about Healthy Decisions

January 25, 2017
Tea Time with Teens is a South Carolina program that taps into the area's traditions to lower the teen pregnancy rate. While bonding over tea with the women of the community, girls learn how to make healthy decisions and become more confident, capable leaders.