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Rural Health Information Hub

Missouri Models and Innovations

These stories feature model programs and successful rural projects that can serve as a source of ideas. Some of the projects or programs may no longer be active. Read about the criteria and evidence-base for programs included.

Evidence-Based Examples

Domestic Violence Enhanced Home Visitation Program (DOVE)

Updated/reviewed March 2024

  • Need: To reduce violence against pregnant women and women with infants in rural Missouri.
  • Intervention: A tool for existing home visiting programs, DOVE was a brochure-based and safety planning intervention for women experiencing interpersonal violence.
  • Results: Women receiving the DOVE intervention saw a larger average decrease in number of violent incidents than women in the control group.

Effective Examples

MU AHEC Summer Community Program

Updated/reviewed September 2023

  • Need: Lack of healthcare providers, specifically physicians, in rural Missouri.
  • Intervention: Rising second-year medical students at University of Missouri's School of Medicine are given the opportunity to participate in a clinical program in a rural community setting.
  • Results: Almost half of the participants from 1996-2010 chose to practice in rural locations upon graduation.

Other Project Examples

HealthTran

Updated/reviewed March 2024

  • Need: Affordable, dependable alternative to bridge the transportation gap between rural Missouri residents and their ability to connect with healthcare providers.
  • Intervention: Creation of HealthTran, a sustainable multi-service non-emergency transportation platform model based on the Community Mobility Management framework.
  • Results: After national recognition of its initial grant-funded pilot success, HealthTran has further evolved into a sustainable and replicable rural health-centric transportation membership model. Linking patients to appointments with healthcare providers, the model continues to expand further into rural Missouri, with some additional scaling in urban areas.

HCC of Lafayette County's Heath Information Technology Workgroup

funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Updated/reviewed December 2023

  • Need: To ensure the quality and sustainability of rural West Central Missouri's health services through the use of technology.
  • Intervention: The Health Care Coalition of Lafayette County convened a Health Information Technology (HIT) workgroup to establish electronic medical and prescription records, telemedicine capabilities, and training for Lafayette County and surrounding areas.
  • Results: The workgroup fully equipped a local emergency department with HIT, launched electronic prescriptions for nearly a dozen Lafayette County providers, and identified acute needs hindering the adoption of electronic health records.

Rapid HCV Testing as an HIV Testing Strategy in Rural Areas

Updated/reviewed December 2023

  • Need: To provide HIV testing in rural areas while navigating around HIV stigma.
  • Intervention: A pilot study to provide HCV (Hepatitis C Virus) rapid tests and then offer an HIV rapid test as well.
  • Results: An increase in the number of people tested for HCV and HIV.

CMH Addiction Recovery Program

funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Added November 2023

  • Need: To help people who use drugs and their families access treatment and counseling in rural Missouri.
  • Intervention: The CMH Addiction Recovery Program provides medication-assisted treatment, counseling, peer and family support, and other related services through a Rural Health Clinic.
  • Results: The program operates 5 days a week and sees 400 patients each month.

Mobile Integrated Healthcare Network (MIHN)

funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Added September 2023

  • Need: To bring preventive care and other services to rural Missouri patients with chronic illnesses and difficulties accessing primary care.
  • Intervention: Community paramedics and community health workers make home visits and provide basic care, home assessments, and medication reconciliation and facilitate telehealth visits.
  • Results: Patients experienced improved access to care, health status, and compliance with medication regimens along with increased patient engagement, satisfaction, and access to community resources.

University of Missouri School of Medicine Rural Track Elective Program Opportunities

funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Updated/reviewed September 2023

  • Need: Increase number of medical providers in rural Missouri.
  • Intervention: Grant-supported expansion of the Rural Track Training sites with additional medical student and resident rural curriculum offerings.
  • Results: Since the 2016-2017 academic year, 50 medical students have rotated at the training sites supported by this grant and more than 350 medical students and residents have attended the focused lecture series.

MoCAP

Updated/reviewed August 2023

  • Need: To help Missouri organizations secure funding to improve health outcomes.
  • Intervention: MoCAP provides free grant writing services and technical assistance for federal/national funding opportunities to eligible organizations in its 84-county service area.
  • Results: Since 2010, MoCAP has provided support for over 800 proposals and helped bring in more than $465 million in funding.

Catalysts for Community Health

Updated/reviewed June 2023

  • Need: To increase access to health information in low-income and rural communities throughout the Midwest.
  • Intervention: The University of Missouri School of Information Science & Learning Technologies developed Catalysts for Community Health (C4CH), an interdisciplinary program designed to train Master of Library and Information Science students to expand health information resources for underserved communities.
  • Results: The cohort of 10 students graduated in summer of 2022.

Last Updated: 3/18/2024