Topics: Public health

For more information and resources, see the Public Health topic guide.

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

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.

Amanda Cohn, MD, Chief Medical Officer on CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, shares how the CDC is providing funding, creating resources, and partnering with other organizations to increase vaccination rates in underserved communities such as rural, tribal, and communities of color.

Fast, reliable broadband is essential for people to access telehealth and patient portals as well as work and study from home, but rural and tribal areas fall behind urban and suburban areas in terms of broadband deployment and speed. Organizations in Alabama, Colorado, and Kentucky share how broadband affects their work and their patients’ care.

Aaron Wernham and Scott Malloy of the Montana Healthcare Foundation share how their foundation responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing technical assistance, organizing webinars to clarify emergency declaration orders, and creating a grant application assistance initiative.

An event space in Dalhart, Texas was converted into a COVID-19 vaccine clinic, distributing 1,232 Pfizer vaccines to residents in a tri-county area and beyond, finding unique ways for the participants to promote the event on social media.

Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center (RCCHC) in rural Ahoskie, North Carolina, is using social media and creating graphics to answer common questions about vaccines and encourage its patients to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Kim Barber Tieman, program director for health and human services for the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, shares how her foundation set up a COVID-19 grant capture team and funded grant writers to help organizations navigate and apply for federal funding opportunities. In addition, her foundation worked with organizations and funded three mobile COVID testing units to better reach communities of color.

Alisa Druzba, director of the New Hampshire’s Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, discusses her journey to becoming a SORH director, the ways her state has been affected by the pandemic, and the favorite parts of her job.

Wondering about animal-to-human diseases? Or human medical conditions related to the environment? Federal experts join health educators to talk about how understanding a One Health approach for human, animal, and environmental health can be helpful for rural healthcare organizations.

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.

The Rural Monitor

Articles and resources on key rural health issues, from the Rural Health Information Hub

Topics: Public health

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

Vaccinating Rural America: Q&A with Dr. Amanda Cohn

Broadband in Rural America: Faster Speeds for Home and Healthcare

Montana Healthcare Foundation: Leveraging Funds, Providing Technical Assistance, and Supporting Public Health

1,232 Doses of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Distributed at Coliseum in Dalhart, Texas

Community Health Center Addresses Vaccine Hesitancy through Social Media

One Health: Bringing Health to Humans, Animals, and the Environment