Connections Rural Health Initiative

Rural residents in Kentucky and the nation face a number of health disparities-among them, higher rates of the top three leading actual causes of death in the United States (tobacco, overweight, and alcohol)-and barriers to health care, especially access issues that make it difficult for citizens to obtain the care they need. While access/barrier issues abound, Connections is designed to address two in particular: the lack of transportation and the lack of insurance. We chose these two issues because they significantly reduce our families' ability to access the care they need and because the Connections program design helps work around them.

We have identified four major goals:

Seventy-five percent of families served will be able to access services independently upon discharge from the Connections program;
Participation in Connections will result in a reduction in the number of smokers, and especially youth smokers, as compared to baseline measures;
Eighty percent of the children in the families we serve will have a dental exam and will follow through with treatment in the year after Connections services are provided;
Partnerships/collaborations begun through the Connections program will be self-sustaining; that is, they will continue beyond the grant period.

We will provide in-home case management and other services when possible, and we will help families arrange for transportation to other providers and services as necessary; We will make the evaluation of each family's eligibility for third-party payment and support programs (Medicaid, KCHIP, K-TAP) a fundamental priority of our case management services, and we will help enroll individuals and families as appropriate.
The Connections Rural Health Initiative will address identified health care needs, facilitate and encourage healthy behaviors, and help overcome barriers and disparities that interfere with families' ability to foster their own and their children's health.