Promising Practices
NOSORH publishes monthly Promising Practice articles to bring attention to the innovative, effective, and valuable State Offices of Rural Health work. Promising Practices help you learn about, share and replicate the incredible rural health initiatives happening across the country.
Innovative Program Teaches Colorado Providers to Be Rural Leaders
By Beth Blevins Teaching rural providers to be better advocates for their patients and their communities was the goal of an innovative program conducted recently by the Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC) in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)....
Community Cafes in Alaska Give People a Say in Their Health Care
Often the best ideas on community healthcare come from community members themselves—especially when they are engaging in active discussions with healthcare providers and others. That’s the idea behind community cafes, sponsored by the Alaska State Office of Rural...
Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health Puts Focus on Rural Human Trafficking
By Beth Blevins Human trafficking doesn’t just happen in big cities in the United States—it happens in rural areas as well. Lisa Davis, Director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH), is working to bring more attention to this issue. Davis said her...
NC Office of Rural Health Helps Rural Providers Get Connected to HIT
By Beth Blevins Behavioral and other healthcare providers in rural North Carolina are getting connected to the statewide health information exchange thanks to the state’s Office of Rural Health Information Technology (ORH HIT) program. The ORH HIT program evolved from...
Promising Practice: Loan Repayment Programs in Nebraska Yielding Huge Payoffs
By Beth Blevins Loan repayment programs in rural Nebraska are showing huge payoffs: family medicine providers who participate in them are significantly less likely to leave small towns and rural areas than those who don’t. “We’re trying to maximize the impact and the...
Promising Practice: Texas SORH’s Handheld Ultrasound Project – An Innovative Approach to Providing Training & Technology to Small Rural Hospitals
by Beth Blevins At a rural hospital in Texas last year, a woman’s life was saved when doctors, using a handheld ultrasound device, determined that her abdominal pain was due to a ruptured ectopic pregnancy and were able to act quickly to address it. The hospital had...
Promising Practice: Alabama SORH Collaborates with VA to Provide Telehealth Care for Vets
A chance encounter at a local store sparked a telehealth partnership between the Alabama Office of Rural Health (AL SORH) and Alabama Veterans Affairs (VA). “A couple of years ago, I was out shopping on a Sunday night and ran into Dr. Randall Weaver, whom I hadn’t...
Promising Practice: Summits Tackle Opioid Misuse and Treatment in Rural Illinois
by Beth Blevins Illinois is tackling the opioid crisis in its rural communities through a series of opioid summits sponsored by the Illinois Center for Rural Health (ICRH). “We realized there were no coalitions or groups working on opioid misuse in rural Illinois,”...
Promising Practice: Michigan Center for Rural Health Plays Unique Role in Hospital Quality Improvement
by Beth Blevins In the quest for hospital quality improvement, the Michigan Center for Rural Health (MCRH) is playing a unique role, serving as a liaison between independent Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the state and the state’s hospital association. “Usually...
Promising Practice: Wisconsin Office of Rural Health Rallies EMS Providers in the State
By: Beth Blevins Rural EMS organizations in Wisconsin are learning to work together and rally for their needs, as evidenced by the recent EMS Day at the Capitol. The event grew out of an effort begun in 2015 by the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health (WI-ORH) to assess...