Dissemination Methods for Mobile Healthcare Programs

It is important for rural mobile healthcare programs to share their program work and results with partners and the broader community. Educating decision-makers and promoting community engagement can improve the chances of success and long-term sustainability.

Programs may need to tailor their dissemination methods based on the audiences they are trying to reach. For example, some rural residents lack high-speed Internet access, so electronic communication methods are not ideal. For these communities, informational pamphlets and referrals from trusted healthcare providers or local radio and newspaper advertisements would be more effective for communicating the benefits of the program.

Oral presentations at a local, state, or national conference, blog posts, and social media posts may be more effective ways to share program success stories and lessons learned with a broader audience.

Dissemination methods for rural mobile healthcare programs include:

• Print materials (pamphlets, brochures, posters)
• Presentations at provider or hospital staff meetings
• Referrals from trusted healthcare settings and community organizations
  • Hospital staff
  • Primary care providers
  • Home health agencies
  • Local health department
  • Social services
  • First responders
  • Faith-based communities
• Social media
• Local radio, television, and newspaper advertisements
• Mobile advertisements
• Podcasts, like Inside EMS, that directly appeal to EMS providers
• Word-of-mouth, personal contact
• Community health fairs
• Posters or oral presentations at national, state, and local conferences, like the National Rural Health Association’s Annual Rural Health Conference or the Annual Mobile Health Clinics Conference sponsored by the Mobile Healthcare Association
• Presentations to local and state policymakers