Projects identifies, addresses rural health priorities
What works for urban doesn’t always work for rural. That was the first concern Jane Bolin, JD, PhD, Southwest Rural Health Research Center director and Texas A&M University Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health professor, had while reading the 38 priorities of Healthy People 2020, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-sponsored project that establishes objectives for health promotion and disease prevention to improve the health of all Americans over the next decade. “What we noticed about Healthy People 2020 is that it doesn’t mention rural, and it only mentions underserved once,” she says. “The concern was that rural populations are unique and may not match the more generalized objectives of Healthy People.” To ensure rural populations weren’t left out, rural health stakeholders, including National Rural Health Association members, were surveyed. “We were able to see which were most pressing for rural communities,” Bolin says. “Access to quality health services was No. 1, which may not be true for Healthy People 2020.” For more on rural health needs and solutions for the next decade, read the full NRHA Rural Roads magazine story here.