Rural Public Health Agencies – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Public Health Agencies.
Beyond Borders: Benefits and Challenges of Leading a Multi-County Health Department
Discusses the impact of consolidating small jurisdictions of local health departments to create multi-county health departments that serve at least 50,000 people, in effort to build economies of scale and better improve population health. Includes an interview with Becky Johnson, administrator of the SEK Multi-County Health Department (SEKMCHD) in southeast Kansas, that provides insight on the benefits of multi-county health departments and strategies to overcome obstacles and sustain services.
Author(s): Kevin Kovach
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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Discusses the impact of consolidating small jurisdictions of local health departments to create multi-county health departments that serve at least 50,000 people, in effort to build economies of scale and better improve population health. Includes an interview with Becky Johnson, administrator of the SEK Multi-County Health Department (SEKMCHD) in southeast Kansas, that provides insight on the benefits of multi-county health departments and strategies to overcome obstacles and sustain services.
Author(s): Kevin Kovach
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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Service & Resource Sharing in Rural Settings: A Perspective Report - Overcoming Common Barriers Faced by Rural Local Health Departments
Discusses the challenges of small and rural local health departments (LHDs) regarding limited resources and capacity. Analyzes 12 examples of service and resource sharing arrangements (SRSAs) that allow LHDs to improve the quality of their services, advance health equity, and provide better healthcare access to local populations.
Author(s): Wyatt J. Beckman, Haleigh Leslie, Christen Minnick, Olivia Sulivan, Nneoma Ubah
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organizations: East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health Research, Kansas Health Institute, Public Health Accreditation Board
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Discusses the challenges of small and rural local health departments (LHDs) regarding limited resources and capacity. Analyzes 12 examples of service and resource sharing arrangements (SRSAs) that allow LHDs to improve the quality of their services, advance health equity, and provide better healthcare access to local populations.
Author(s): Wyatt J. Beckman, Haleigh Leslie, Christen Minnick, Olivia Sulivan, Nneoma Ubah
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organizations: East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health Research, Kansas Health Institute, Public Health Accreditation Board
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Critical Access Hospital-Local Health Department Partnerships to Address Rural Community Needs
Explores Critical Access Hospital (CAH) involvement in collaborative community health networks that include local public health departments (LHDs), other healthcare organizations, social service agencies, and other community organizations. Uses survey data from the American Hospital Association (AHA) to describe the collaborative partnerships CAHs are engaged in, the organizations with which they partner, and the activities these partnerships undertake. Presents findings from qualitative interviews with four pairs of CAH and LHD leaders regarding challenges and lessons learned from these local-level collaborations. Identifies three areas of activity - community health needs assessments, emergency preparedness planning, and emergent public health crises - that provide an opportunity to encourage collaboration between CAHs and LHDs and address priority needs.
Author(s): Zachariah Croll, Celia Jewell, John Gale
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Explores Critical Access Hospital (CAH) involvement in collaborative community health networks that include local public health departments (LHDs), other healthcare organizations, social service agencies, and other community organizations. Uses survey data from the American Hospital Association (AHA) to describe the collaborative partnerships CAHs are engaged in, the organizations with which they partner, and the activities these partnerships undertake. Presents findings from qualitative interviews with four pairs of CAH and LHD leaders regarding challenges and lessons learned from these local-level collaborations. Identifies three areas of activity - community health needs assessments, emergency preparedness planning, and emergent public health crises - that provide an opportunity to encourage collaboration between CAHs and LHDs and address priority needs.
Author(s): Zachariah Croll, Celia Jewell, John Gale
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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2022 National Profile of Local Health Departments
Provides a study of local health department infrastructure and practice. Discusses topics including leadership, workforce, emergency preparedness and response, public health policy, information technology, financing, and more. Includes analysis by degree of urbanization throughout.
Author(s): Margaret Cunningham, Krishna Patel, Timothy C. McCall, et al.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Provides a study of local health department infrastructure and practice. Discusses topics including leadership, workforce, emergency preparedness and response, public health policy, information technology, financing, and more. Includes analysis by degree of urbanization throughout.
Author(s): Margaret Cunningham, Krishna Patel, Timothy C. McCall, et al.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Supporting Resilience in Rural Areas Through Cross-Sector Partnerships
Discusses the importance of working across multiple agencies and organizations to address social, economic, and environmental determinants of health. Describes the Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach that uses cross-sector strategies to build health infrastructure and sustainability, with examples from rural communities.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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Discusses the importance of working across multiple agencies and organizations to address social, economic, and environmental determinants of health. Describes the Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach that uses cross-sector strategies to build health infrastructure and sustainability, with examples from rural communities.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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The Power of Rural in Action: CDC & State Strategies for Rural Health
A recorded webinar that discusses the work of 3 rural health offices: the Center for Disease Control's Office of Rural Health, the Texas State Office of Rural Health, and the Virginia State Office of Rural Health. Focuses on how the offices implement programs, utilize collaboration and partnerships, and provide rural health resources. Transcript available below description.
Author(s): Diane Hall, Eva Cruz, Fern Christian
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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A recorded webinar that discusses the work of 3 rural health offices: the Center for Disease Control's Office of Rural Health, the Texas State Office of Rural Health, and the Virginia State Office of Rural Health. Focuses on how the offices implement programs, utilize collaboration and partnerships, and provide rural health resources. Transcript available below description.
Author(s): Diane Hall, Eva Cruz, Fern Christian
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Bringing Counties Together to Create Stronger Health Departments at a Lesser Cost in Rural Western New York
Discusses how 2 rural public health departments in New York collaborated to leverage resources and utilize shared staffing. Features impacts of collaboration and provides strategies on how to make similar public health department collaborations successful.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Public Health Accreditation Board
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Discusses how 2 rural public health departments in New York collaborated to leverage resources and utilize shared staffing. Features impacts of collaboration and provides strategies on how to make similar public health department collaborations successful.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Public Health Accreditation Board
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The County Role of Public Health
Provides an overview on how county-level public health agencies are involved in preparedness and response as well as addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH) in their local communities. Covers the core functions of public health departments, their role in local and rural areas, and policy efforts to support local public health authorities.
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
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Provides an overview on how county-level public health agencies are involved in preparedness and response as well as addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH) in their local communities. Covers the core functions of public health departments, their role in local and rural areas, and policy efforts to support local public health authorities.
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
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Competencies, Training Needs, and Turnover Among Rural Compared With Urban Local Public Health Practitioners: 2021 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey
Analyzes the rural and urban differences in 29,751 public health workers surveyed regarding competencies, training needs, and workplace stressors. Discusses COVID-19 impacts on public health work.
Author(s): Paula M. Kett, Betty Bekemeier, Davis G. Patterson, Kay Schaffer
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 113(6), 689-699
Date: 06/2023
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Analyzes the rural and urban differences in 29,751 public health workers surveyed regarding competencies, training needs, and workplace stressors. Discusses COVID-19 impacts on public health work.
Author(s): Paula M. Kett, Betty Bekemeier, Davis G. Patterson, Kay Schaffer
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 113(6), 689-699
Date: 06/2023
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Global to Local Toolkit: Adapting Global Interventions for Local Public Health
A toolkit that discusses strategies for adapting evidence-based, global interventions in public health to local health departments (LHDs) in the United States. Provides an overview of a case study from a predominately rural LHD that used global strategies to address the behavioral workforce shortage in their area. Includes resources and tools for planning and networking.
Additional links: Are You Prepared to Go Global-to-Local? Checklist, Global-to-Local Partner Identification Tool
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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A toolkit that discusses strategies for adapting evidence-based, global interventions in public health to local health departments (LHDs) in the United States. Provides an overview of a case study from a predominately rural LHD that used global strategies to address the behavioral workforce shortage in their area. Includes resources and tools for planning and networking.
Additional links: Are You Prepared to Go Global-to-Local? Checklist, Global-to-Local Partner Identification Tool
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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