Module 3: Program Clearinghouse

The HRSA Federal Office of Rural Health Policy has funded several programs in rural areas with the goal of addressing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as part of the 330A Outreach Authority program. This program focuses on expanding access to healthcare services in rural areas.

Examples of current 330A Outreach Authority grantees and other organizations that have developed promising programs designed to improve COPD in a rural community are provided below. Evidence-based and promising program models for improving COPD are available in Module 2.

• Adventist Health System
  Project: Quality Improvement Project to Address Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
  Synopsis: This patient navigator program incorporates treatment planning and COPD education before patient discharge to reduce avoidable hospital readmissions.
• Bay Rivers Telehealth Alliance
  Project: Bridges to Care Transitions
  Synopsis: This telehealth program enhances COPD patients' self-management through remote patient monitoring.
• Cary Medical Center
  Project: Better Breathing, Better Living
  Synopsis: This care coordination program ensures that patients are informed about their COPD diagnosis and provides self-management education accompanied by regular follow-up assessments.
• COPD Foundation
  Project: Teaching and Outreach in Underserved Communities and Health Improvement (TOUCH COPD)
  Synopsis: This pilot training program sought to increase the capacity of healthcare professionals without a background in respiratory therapy or pulmonology to effectively care for COPD patients through webinars and workshops.
• Genesis HealthCare System
  Project: COPD Readmission Prevention Program
  Synopsis: This program combines care coordination, patient education, and coordination with community services to reduce hospital readmissions among COPD patients.
• Ohio Northern University
  Project: ONU HealthWise Mobile Health Clinic
  Synopsis: This mobile health clinic, staffed in part by health science university students, provides preventive health education and chronic care support to hard-to-reach populations.
• Partners in Health Network
  Project: Appalachian Pulmonary Health Project
  Synopsis: This regional network of pulmonary rehabilitation centers seeks to expand COPD treatment in rural West Virginia and other parts of Appalachia.
• Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center
  Project: Care Coordination for CHF and COPD Patients at Family Medical Center
  Synopsis: This program focuses on patient engagement and self-management to enhance the well-being of COPD patients and reduce their emergency department visits and hospital readmissions.