All people deserve the right to a healthy life, but healthcare equity and access can prove more difficult to achieve in rural communities, underscoring the need for initiatives focused on advancing rural health equity.

Although approximately 20 percent of the US population is rural, only nine percent of US physicians work in rural areas. According to the CDC, rural populations are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, injuries, respiratory disease and stroke than those in urban areas.

At Dartmouth Health, The Center for Advancing Rural Health Equity (CARHE) and the Center for Rural Health Care Delivery Science (funded by the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, also known as COBRE), are working to find solutions to rural challenges like these.

Advancing Rural Health Equity Through Improving Delivery and Outcomes

The Center for Rural Health Care Delivery Science was created to develop a critical mass of clinician-investigators who focus on the study of healthcare in rural communities and improving rural health equity.

Made possible by a five-year $11.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health as part of the COBRE program, the Center for Rural Health Care Delivery Science creates a repository of research resources. Together with community-engaged partners, these resources shape the way rural healthcare is understood and delivered, providing researchers with expert mentoring in medicine and science and strategic direction.

The Center is supported by two scientific cores: 1) Statistics, Informatics, and Qualitative Methods, and 2) Community Engagement and Outreach.

Some examples of ongoing research include:

  • Understanding and addressing barriers to remote cardiac monitoring, which relies on wireless connectivity and may be less accessible in rural areas (Project lead: Emily Zeitler, MD, MHS).
  • Measuring the delivery of low-value pediatric services to determine disparities in rural vs. urban care and possible solutions (Project lead: Samantha House, DO, MHS
  • Identifying why individuals with COPD who live in rural areas have worse health outcomes compared with their non-rural counterparts (Project lead: Laura Paulin, MD, MHS).

Read the full article about advancing rural health equity at Dartmouth Health.