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The Rural Monitor
Articles by State: Iowa

For more information and resources, see the Iowa state guide.

Strategic Collaboration: The Key to Moving Rural Healthcare Forward

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.

Rural Pharmacies Provide Multi-Faceted Value to Rural Communities

July 12, 2023
Rural community pharmacies are often vital sources for prescriptions, vaccinations, patient education, and other healthcare needs, but the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis reported a decrease in the number of rural pharmacies from 2003 to 2021. A pharmacy chain in the Midwest, a pharmacy-based research network in the South, and an Illinois school of pharmacy discuss the rewards and challenges of operating in rural areas.

Changing the Narrative — Rural Healthcare Opportunities and the Role of Emerging Leaders

June 7, 2023
While rural healthcare faces many challenges, it also possesses strengths and potential, such as its leadership. The NRHA's Rural Health CEO Certification Program and Rural Health Fellows works to strengthen current leaders' skills, while the University of Iowa's and the University of South Carolina's Master of Health Administration programs, NRHA's Student Constituency Group, and the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network help shape future leaders.

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.

Out of the Shadows: Reducing the Rural Impact of Epilepsy

October 20, 2021
A common health condition, epilepsy impacts rural populations in many ways, including the ability to drive. Medical and public health experts join an advocacy organization to review the condition's impact and outline rural management approaches — including seizure first aid.

Federal Agencies' Investment in Rural Cancer Control Fosters Partnerships between Researchers and Rural Communities

July 28, 2021
Researchers and rural communities are working together to address rural cancer prevention and control, with federal funding supporting a wide range of projects. From targeting health behaviors, to making cancer screening and vaccination more accessible, to increasing rural participation in clinical trials, efforts to reduce rural cancer burden are underway across the country.

Physician Burnout: Definition(s), Cause(s), Impact(s), Solution(s)

January 22, 2020
National research has revealed it and rural research suggests it: over 40% of today's physicians are burned out. This in-depth story reviews information about burnout in healthcare professions and for physicians in particular. Along with reviewing causes and impact, a medical school wellness-advocate, a researcher, and a large healthcare organization with a rural footprint shared interventions and solutions.

Life 'til the End: Hospice in Rural America

June 12, 2019
The importance of quality end-of-life care in rural America can be difficult to understand until you need hospice care. A rural family shares their journey with hospice and how it helped them care for their father at the end of his life. A CAH CEO explains how hospice care intersects with the mission to provide care to the community.