May 2024 Center for Rural Health Update

FOCUS on Rural Health

The ECHO Effect
Project ECHO aids North Dakota healthcare professionals by providing free virtual educational sessions.

News

Search for the Next CRH Director
The University of North Dakota (UND) is conducting a search to find the next director for the Center of Rural Health (CRH).

Rural and Public Health Awardees Honored at Dakota Conference
The Rural and Public Health Awards Banquet honors North Dakota rural health advocates.

North Dakota Critical Access Hospitals Receive Funds to Implement Projects
Seven North Dakota Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) received CAH subcontract funding supported by the North Dakota Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program.

Three Rural Hospital Directors of Nursing Receive Certification
Three North Dakota directors of nursing completed leadership training funded by the Flex Program.

CRH Welcomes New Employee
Jennifer Garcia joins CRH as a resource facilitator for the North Dakota Qualified Service Provider Hub.

Funding & Other Opportunities

Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health
The Dakota Conference will be held June 4-6 in Grand Forks. Connect with healthcare professionals, educators, and students from across the state to discuss strategies and challenges related to rural health.

Applications Open for R-COOL-Health Scrubs Camps
Grant applications are being accepted to host a Scrubs Camp in your community. Through creative and interactive activities, these exciting camps provide an opportunity for students in grades 5-12 to learn more about health careers available in rural North Dakota.
Deadline: August 15

CRH Events

May 29	Webinar: Firearm Safety and Injury Prevention Hosted by the North Dakota Brain Injury Network (NDBIN), this webinar will share why firearm safety is important and the correlation between firearm injuries and suicidal ideation.
May 29	Webinar: Understanding Housing as a Social Driver of Health for Rural Residents This webinar will feature recent research findings on rural/urban differences in housing cost burden and quality of housing stock. Hosted by the Rural Health Research Gateway.
June 5	TeleECHO: Adolescent Suicide, Signs, Screening/Interpretation, Treatment in Primary Care This teleECHO will feature Dr. John Ackerman from Nationwide Children’s Hospital as he speaks about mental health in pediatrics.
June 6	New QSP: Next Steps Virtual Meeting This monthly meeting will provide recently approved Qualified Service Providers (QSPs) an introduction to the QSP handbook as well as resources, links, and advice to support them as a QSP.
June 11	TeleECHO: Physiology of Aging This teleECHO will feature Dr. Donald Jurivich presenting on aging.
June 12	Webinar: The Best Quest Shaun Best, a survivor of a three-month coma, shares his story in this webinar. Hosted by NDBIN.

Publications & Resources

"Economic Development is Population Health": A New Vision for Rural Hospital Leadership
In Rural Health Information Hub's Rural Monitor article, learn how rural hospital leaders are beginning to view their infrastructure, purchasing, and investment strategies as crucial extensions of their efforts to improve community health – and, in the long term, bolster their bottom line.

Rural Health Research Recap – LGBTQ+ Health: Rural vs Urban Inequities
This Recap examines how rural lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults report on their health conditions, including mental health, and how it compares to the urban population.

Identifying Our Needs: A Survey of Elders, Cycle VIII (2020-2023) – 2024 Final Report
This report shows data and other information collected from a survey of more than 21,000 Native Elders, ages 55 years and older. View related infographics:

So I am Going to be a Health Professional in a Rural Community, What Do I Need to Understand?
Presented by Brad Gibbens on April 2 to the UND 617 Education in Occupational Therapy class in Grand Forks.

Emotional Dysregulation Following a Brain Injury
Presented on April 10 by Carly Endres at the 2024 North Dakota Family Based Services Association Conference in Fargo. Carly also presented Brain Injury 101 at the conference.

Medical Students Write About Health Outcomes
The Targeted Rural Health Education (TRHE) project helps resident physicians and health profession students take a closer look at the health needs of communities in which they are training. The writers promote positive health outcomes in their rural communities. Here are the three most recent articles: