The Branch Newsletter
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Promising Practices Archive
NOSORH published monthly Promising Practices articles to bring attention to the innovative, effective, and valuable State Offices of Rural Health work. Promising Practices helps you learn about, share, and replicate the incredible rural health initiatives happening across the country.
Select an article below to look at past Promising Practices articles:
State Offices of Rural Health Helping the Fight Against the COVID-19 Pandemic
Because of COVID-19, for the last several months it hasn’t been business as usual for most people—and that includes the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH). The SORH have addressed the ongoing public health crisis in a variety of ways—from helping set up rural...
Texas SORH Fosters Quality Champions in Rural Hospitals Across the State
To help rural Texas hospitals improve the quality of their healthcare, the Texas Office of Rural Health (TX SORH) is fostering “quality champions” in every region of the state. “In Texas we’re not immune to the high rate of turnover in our hospitals—which includes our...
Advocacy in New Hampshire Procures More Funding for Provider Recruitment
Loan repayment is a tool to recruit providers to shortage areas. In New Hampshire, recent legislation has boosted its State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) so that it can be used more broadly and for a wider range of providers. The legislation arose from the efforts of...
Promising Practice: Getting More Nurses Working in Rural Montana
In Montana, 52 of 56 counties are classified as medically underserved and ten counties have no physician. This is why nurses play such an important role there, and why the Montana Office of Rural Health/Area Health Education Center (MORH/AHEC) is working to get more...
Oregon ORH Offers New Resource on Telehealth Payment and Policy Changes During Pandemic
by Beth Blevins The Oregon Office of Rural Health (OORH) has created a new repository that houses state and federal telehealth policy and payment resources in response to rapidly evolving changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 Telehealth Policy and Payment for...
MPH Students Tackle Real-Life Problems at Oklahoma’s Critical Access Hospitals
By Beth Blevins Public health students at Oklahoma State University (OSU) are tackling real-life problems at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the state. In collaboration with the Oklahoma Office of Rural Health (OORH), Master of Public Health (MPH) students...
Suppers in Virginia Give Rural Folks a Chance to Meet and Share Information
by Beth Blevins “Come to supper!” is the invitation extended recently by the Virginia State Office of Rural Health (VA SORH). As a result, folks across rural Virginia have gathered to eat barbecue and discuss what is going on in their communities. “We figure that...
Sowing the Seeds of Healthy Eating in Rural Indiana
by Beth Blevins Thanks in part to the Indiana State Office of Rural Health (Indiana SORH), rural residents in Allen County, Indiana, soon will have the opportunity to take classes on cooking and healthy eating through the HEALing Seeds program. The Our HEALing Kitchen...
Forum on Aging in Rural Oregon Brings Together Innovative Ideas and Programs
By Beth Blevins In rural and frontier Oregon, as in many other parts of the country, the aging population is rising, bringing new challenges to healthcare and other services. To address these needs, the Oregon Office of Rural Health (ORH) hosts the annual Forum on...
NY State Office of Rural Health Leans Into More Efficient Work
By Beth Blevins Using Lean, a concept originally developed to eliminate waste in Japanese manufacturing, the New York State Office of Rural Health (NYSORH) recently embarked on a project to find more efficiency in the way its operates. The effort was part of the New...