Peer support specialists are trained laypeople in recovery with a mental health condition or substance use disorder who act as mentors and coordinators for clients with similar behavioral health issues. PSSs in rural Arizona, Michigan, and North Dakota share the challenges and successes they see in their communities. The post… Read more »

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has higher prevalence and death rates in rural than urban populations. John Linnell, a rural COPD Foundation State Captain, talks about the disease and how he and other Captains can be partners in efforts to impact this disease. The post Understanding the Many Roles of COPD… Read more »

Rural Americans of all ages often go without eye healthcare, a gap that has obvious consequences: blindness and low vision. National associations and an FQHC administrator talk about how rural vision care can be improved to increase quality of life and prevent disability in rural patients. The post Eye Health… Read more »

Teleophthalmology has an established track record. Two ophthalmologists talk about present and future realities for remote eye care technology. The post Teleophthalmology: Ophthalmologists Talk Remote Eye Care Solutions appeared first on The Rural Monitor. Read more »

Public health experts, researchers, and organizations who are concerned about eye health in rural America note new data collection efforts to be able to better understand vision care needs. Screening guidelines also play an important part in vision care in rural America. The post Looking at Vision-related Data: Research Gaps… Read more »

Highlighting eye care as more than prescribing glasses, an optometrist explains how the medical model of optometry brings additional health benefits to rural patients. The post Rural Eye Healthcare: Optometrist Explains the Benefits of the Medical Model of Optometry appeared first on The Rural Monitor. Read more »

Articles on health workforce issues, the opioid crisis, the social determinants of health, domestic violence, trauma/EMS, and palliative care all made it onto the year’s most-read list. The post Top 10 Rural Monitor Articles of 2018 appeared first on The Rural Monitor. Read more »

For many rural Americans, distance to a specialty healthcare center hundreds of miles away makes for a long, uncomfortable, and expensive trip. In the past several decades, dozens of charitable flight services have cropped up to transport rural veterans, cancer patients, the chronically ill, and even abused children to treatment.… Read more »

The MU AHEC Rural Track Pipeline Program in Missouri prepares its medical students and residents for rural practice through a lecture series, rural clerkships, and a community integration project. The post Mizzou Educates the Next Generation of Rural Providers through Lectures, Clerkships, and Community Integration appeared first on The Rural… Read more »

Scott County, Indiana, has been in the national spotlight since experiencing the largest HIV outbreak in rural America's recent history. The town's only physician at the time, Dr. William Cooke, took action to bring healing and hope to his community of Austin and the surrounding county. In this Q&A, he… Read more »