Rural Public Health Agencies – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Public Health Agencies.
It's Possible: Voluntary Accreditation for Rural Public Health Departments
Provides an overview of the public health department accreditation process. Discusses service differences between rural and urban public health departments. Offers advice for rural departments pursuing accreditation.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Provides an overview of the public health department accreditation process. Discusses service differences between rural and urban public health departments. Offers advice for rural departments pursuing accreditation.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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A Rising Tide: Increasing Rural Local Health Department Capacity to Address the Social Determinants of Health
Describes unique challenges faced by rural local health departments (LHDs), as well as assets such as community connectivity and trusted local institutions. Explores the ways in which partnerships, leadership, community engagement, data and evaluation, and community health improvement planning function as foundational elements in addressing social determinants of health in rural communities.
Author(s): Karla Feeser, Melissa Mayer, Ashley Edmiston
Date: 07/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Describes unique challenges faced by rural local health departments (LHDs), as well as assets such as community connectivity and trusted local institutions. Explores the ways in which partnerships, leadership, community engagement, data and evaluation, and community health improvement planning function as foundational elements in addressing social determinants of health in rural communities.
Author(s): Karla Feeser, Melissa Mayer, Ashley Edmiston
Date: 07/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Local Health Department Approaches to Opioid Use Prevention and Response: An Environmental Scan
Summarizes the results of an environmental scan of 198 local health departments (LHDs) regarding their local opioid overdose prevention and response activities. Reports and compares statistics by governance and the size of the population the LHD serves. Discusses efforts and activities related to workforce, clinical and programmatic services, policy, communication, partnership, and data collection. Includes LHD stories from the field.
Author(s): Kamya Raja, Francis Higgins
Date: 07/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Summarizes the results of an environmental scan of 198 local health departments (LHDs) regarding their local opioid overdose prevention and response activities. Reports and compares statistics by governance and the size of the population the LHD serves. Discusses efforts and activities related to workforce, clinical and programmatic services, policy, communication, partnership, and data collection. Includes LHD stories from the field.
Author(s): Kamya Raja, Francis Higgins
Date: 07/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Member Spotlight Interview: Health Director Emily Brown Discusses the Importance of Rural Health Representation
Interview with the health director for Rio Grande County Public Health, serving 6 rural counties in Colorado. Highlights the importance of rural health representation at all levels of government and explores how the Rio Grande County health department addresses health issues related to poverty.
Citation: NACCHO Voice
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Interview with the health director for Rio Grande County Public Health, serving 6 rural counties in Colorado. Highlights the importance of rural health representation at all levels of government and explores how the Rio Grande County health department addresses health issues related to poverty.
Citation: NACCHO Voice
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Data, Capacity-Building, and Training Needs to Address Rural Health Inequities in the Northwest United States: A Qualitative Study
Describes the results of 28 interviews with rural local health department staff in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to examine their training needs and capacity to access and use data to better understand public health issues and allocate resources. Includes interview subjects' employment information and quotes highlighting the challenges to accessing or using data to monitor rural health issues.
Author(s): Betty Bekemeier, Seungeun Park, Uba Backonja, India Ornelas, Anne M. Turner
Citation: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 26(8-9), 825-834
Date: 04/2019
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Describes the results of 28 interviews with rural local health department staff in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to examine their training needs and capacity to access and use data to better understand public health issues and allocate resources. Includes interview subjects' employment information and quotes highlighting the challenges to accessing or using data to monitor rural health issues.
Author(s): Betty Bekemeier, Seungeun Park, Uba Backonja, India Ornelas, Anne M. Turner
Citation: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 26(8-9), 825-834
Date: 04/2019
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Strengthening Rural States' Capacity to Prepare for and Respond to Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2013-2015
Provides information for clinicians working in rural areas to effectively identify and respond to infectious disease. Highlights how state and local public health agencies from states having a high percentage of populations in rural areas, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have successfully strengthened their ability to respond to the growing threat of infectious diseases.
Author(s): Scott Santibañez, Kimberly Spencer Bellis, Allison Bay, et al.
Citation: Southern Medical Journal, 112(2), 101-105
Date: 02/2019
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Provides information for clinicians working in rural areas to effectively identify and respond to infectious disease. Highlights how state and local public health agencies from states having a high percentage of populations in rural areas, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have successfully strengthened their ability to respond to the growing threat of infectious diseases.
Author(s): Scott Santibañez, Kimberly Spencer Bellis, Allison Bay, et al.
Citation: Southern Medical Journal, 112(2), 101-105
Date: 02/2019
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Survey Development: Community Involvement in the Design and Implementation Process
Highlights how the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council Epidemiology Center (RMTEC) worked with one tribal community to develop a health priorities survey. Describes the importance of community involvement in public health activities and planning for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. Includes practice and policy implications.
Author(s): Allyson Kelley, Christopher Piccione, Aryn Fisher, et al.
Citation: Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 25(suppl 5), S77-S83
Date: 2019
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Highlights how the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council Epidemiology Center (RMTEC) worked with one tribal community to develop a health priorities survey. Describes the importance of community involvement in public health activities and planning for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. Includes practice and policy implications.
Author(s): Allyson Kelley, Christopher Piccione, Aryn Fisher, et al.
Citation: Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 25(suppl 5), S77-S83
Date: 2019
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Population Health in Rural Communities
Policy paper discussing the concept of population health in rural communities with a focus on providing better care, improving health, and lowering costs.
Author(s): Sally Buck, Patricia A. Crawford, John Gale, Deborah Holzmark, Michelle Mills
Date: 04/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy paper discussing the concept of population health in rural communities with a focus on providing better care, improving health, and lowering costs.
Author(s): Sally Buck, Patricia A. Crawford, John Gale, Deborah Holzmark, Michelle Mills
Date: 04/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Rural Healthy People 2020: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2020, Volume 2
Provides a rural focus for the Healthy People 2020 priorities with an overview for each of the top health priorities ranked 11 through 20 identified by rural stakeholders. (Volume 1 discussed the top 10 priorities.) Topics include: cancer, health education, oral health, immunizations and infectious disease, public health, sexual health and family planning, injury and violence prevention, and social determinants of health. Includes reviews of the relevant literature and model programs appropriate for rural communities. Document is available for free download, after providing brief information about intended use.
Author(s): Jane N. Bolin, Gail Bellamy, Alva O. Ferdinand, Bita Kash, Janet W. Helduser
Date: 2015
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Provides a rural focus for the Healthy People 2020 priorities with an overview for each of the top health priorities ranked 11 through 20 identified by rural stakeholders. (Volume 1 discussed the top 10 priorities.) Topics include: cancer, health education, oral health, immunizations and infectious disease, public health, sexual health and family planning, injury and violence prevention, and social determinants of health. Includes reviews of the relevant literature and model programs appropriate for rural communities. Document is available for free download, after providing brief information about intended use.
Author(s): Jane N. Bolin, Gail Bellamy, Alva O. Ferdinand, Bita Kash, Janet W. Helduser
Date: 2015
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Healthy People 2020: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2020, Volume 1
Provides a rural focus for the Healthy People 2020 priorities. Includes overviews of the top 10 rural health priority areas identified by rural stakeholders. (Volume 2 discusses priorities 11-20.) Topics addressed include: health insurance, primary care, emergency services, nutrition and weight status, diabetes, mental health, substance abuse, heart disease and stroke, physical activity, older adults, maternal and child health, and tobacco use. Each overview includes reviews of the relevant literature and models that rural communities can use to address the issues. Document is available for free download, after providing brief information about intended use.
Author(s): Jane N. Bolin, Gail Bellamy, Alva O. Ferdinand, Bita Kash, Janet W. Helduser
Date: 2015
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Provides a rural focus for the Healthy People 2020 priorities. Includes overviews of the top 10 rural health priority areas identified by rural stakeholders. (Volume 2 discusses priorities 11-20.) Topics addressed include: health insurance, primary care, emergency services, nutrition and weight status, diabetes, mental health, substance abuse, heart disease and stroke, physical activity, older adults, maternal and child health, and tobacco use. Each overview includes reviews of the relevant literature and models that rural communities can use to address the issues. Document is available for free download, after providing brief information about intended use.
Author(s): Jane N. Bolin, Gail Bellamy, Alva O. Ferdinand, Bita Kash, Janet W. Helduser
Date: 2015
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
view details
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Last Updated: 4/1/2025