RURAL HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010 - MODELS FOR PRACTICE

Models for Practice. The goal of the Rural Healthy People 2010 project (RHP2010) is to maximize the impact of Healthy People 2010 on health conditions in rural America. Toward this goal, the project reviews 15 rural health priority areas identified by a nationwide survey of rural health leaders and presents community-based Models for Practice employed to address these priorities.      

What is a Model for Practice? It combines elements of best practices and model programs. Among these elements are innovation, measurement and assessment, and replicability across rural settings.

The nominations for Models for Practice were identified through a variety of avenues. Over 250 models were nominated through a national survey of over 1000 rural health leaders and/or experts. Additional models were identified through literature reviews and requests for nominations from trade associations and professional organizations. Nominated programs are screened and surveyed to determine the scope of the program or practice and presence of those elements indicative of Models for Practice (innovative, problem-based, coordination of organizations and services, new technologies, new application of an existing technology, representative of a radical change to existing practices, may or may not be theory based, experimental and subject to testing).

An overview of the Rural Healthy People 2010 Project   

Final Rural Healthy People 2010 document Volumes 1, 2, and 3

Brief summaries of top rural health concerns, related models for practice, and literature reviews on these concerns are presented here.  This page is an electronic version of the the final document.

Database of rural models for practice searchable by focus area, state, or program name.

Catalog of Models

Using the link below, the Models for Practice catalog may be searched by Healthy People 2010 focus area (such as access or diabetes), state, or program name. Each of the Models for Practice is described under the general headings of:

Anatomy of a Model for Practice
Contact Information and Snapshot Provides contact information and a brief overview of the project.	Blueprint Provides a description of the program's key elements.	Making a Difference Describes the program's assessment of progress and/or outcomes.	Beginnings Major steps in the development of the program.	Challenges and Solutions Difficulties encountered and solutions employed.

Note: For each of the priority areas, only a handful of models were selected for inclusion and the list is certainly not exhaustive. The project hopes to continue researching, cataloging, and highlighting programs and practices as funding allows. Additional model program listings may be found online at: The Bureau of Primary Health Care (Models that Work) and SAMHSA (CSAP)