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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Texas Models and Innovations

These stories feature model programs and successful rural projects that can serve as a source of ideas. Some of the projects or programs may no longer be active. Read about the criteria and evidence-base for programs included.

Promising Examples

Updated/reviewed September 2023

  • Need: Improve screening rates for rural uninsured/underinsured patients in counties surrounding Bryan-College Station, Texas.
  • Intervention: An academic center's nursing and family medicine training programs partnered with its public health program to obtain state grant funds for execution of a coordinated cancer prevention and detection program.
  • Results: In 5 years of colorectal screening efforts, 18 cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed in addition to detection of precancerous lesions in 25% of nearly 2000 screening colonoscopies. In 3 years of women's health screening, 18 cases of breast cancer and 141 precancerous cervical lesions were also detected. Due to the initial success of the project, the program continues.

Other Project Examples

Added January 2025

  • Need: Rural cancer survivors report lower levels of physical activity and higher rates of psychosocial distress compared to their urban counterparts.
  • Intervention: Researchers collaborated with a rural-serving organization in northeast Texas to test a 3-month intervention which enhanced an existing exercise program with behavioral health education, yoga, and home-based exercise components.
  • Results: Program participants were twice as likely to report meeting physical activity recommendations at post-intervention than participants in a control group and reported significant reductions in psychosocial distress.

Added December 2024

  • Need: To provide basic pregnancy-related and preventive health services to women in the Texas Rio Grande Valley.
  • Intervention: A mobile clinic travels to different communities and provides basic preventive care, contraception, and pregnancy testing and ultrasounds.
  • Results: Since the program began, clinical staff have provided services to nearly 6,000 women.

Added August 2024

  • Need: Support for people experiencing domestic violence in Kingsville, Texas and the surrounding area.
  • Intervention: A grassroots task force leading a series of initiatives that include a court accompaniment program, trusted partner trainings for community members, and a hotel voucher program for emergency shelter.
  • Results: More than 100 people have been trained in the trusted partner program, and at least a dozen hotel vouchers have been utilized.

Updated/reviewed July 2024

  • Need: To help older adults age in place.
  • Intervention: For five months, CAPABLE participants receive home visits from a registered nurse, occupational therapist, and home repair services.
  • Results: There are currently 42 CAPABLE sites across the country, 14 of which are located in rural communities.

Updated/reviewed June 2024

  • Need: To develop a child welfare system that provides rural Texas communities with flexibility, authority, and adaptability to improve services and outcomes for children and families.
  • Intervention: SJRC Texas's division Belong is the lead provider for Community-Based Care, which oversees foster and kinship care, case management, reunification services, and prevention services in the South Central and Hill Country region of Texas.
  • Results: Since October 2021, SJRC Texas Belong CBC has served more than 1,700 children and young adults and provided more than 1,400 home and virtual visits.

Updated/reviewed April 2024

  • Need: Strategies to recruit and retain providers to practice in rural settings.
  • Intervention: A traveling one-day workshop was designed to share ideas and firsthand accounts on successful strategies on how to create "Safe Sites" for new recruits.
  • Results: So far, workshops have trained over 250 hospital administrators, board members, and rural hospital recruiters.

Added March 2024

  • Need: To help rural communities in Texas better prepare for disasters and emergency events.
  • Intervention: A year-long pilot project used focus groups, a survey, and exit interviews to research a collaboration with librarians and local stakeholders to discuss a community's strengths and opportunities for resiliency planning.
  • Results: Community stakeholders in Pottsboro and Gladewater collaborated to identify challenges to rural disaster preparedness like aging infrastructure and lack of communication with residents. They began the process to address these challenges through local resiliency planning and future programming.

Updated/reviewed January 2024

  • Need: Reliable transportation options for employment and medical access needs for residents of Paris, Texas.
  • Intervention: A regional government coalition, already operating a rural regional transportation system, partnered with a rural community's medical, education and business entities to expand and improve the community's transportation system.
  • Results: After implementation, decreased emergency room visits were noted, likely due to reliable transportation for scheduled medical appointments. Paris Metro still continues as a low cost/no cost transportation network and includes paratransit opportunities.

Updated/reviewed February 2023

  • Need: Suicide among veterans has been steadily increasing, and rural veterans have an increased risk of death by suicide compared to urban veterans.
  • Intervention: A program called Together With Veterans was formed to help rural communities address and prevent suicides among veterans. The initiative is veteran-led, collaborative, evidence-based, and community-centered.
  • Results: Data collection is ongoing.
Last Reviewed: 7/3/2023