Educating and Informing

The Center for Rural Health is committed to enhancing the understanding of rural health issues in our state, region, and the nation. We work with a wide range of rural stakeholders to:

• Raise awareness about the challenges facing rural communities
• Help people working on rural issues share their experiences and learn from one another
• Support informed decision making

What We Can Do for You

In the area of educating and informing, we offer:

• Key North Dakota rural statistics, maps and supporting information via fact sheets and other publications.
• Presentations by our staff on a wide variety of rural health topics. For more details or to request a presentation, see our speakers bureau.
• Professional development opportunities at the Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health as well as other workshops and meetings.
• E-mail updates on state and national resources and opportunities via the Center for Rural Health Update
• The Rural Health Information Hub's website offers an online clearinghouse with information on 80 key rural health and human services topics and all 50 states, examples of successful programs and approaches, tools to support grant writing, free customized assistance and much more.

Our Expertise

Our staff and faculty present and publish on a wide range of rural health topics at the national, regional, tribal, state and community levels. We also serve on a variety of national and regional boards, committees, and taskforces, all with the aim of helping to inform people, organizations, and policy discussions about rural issues.

We provide information to the North Dakota Legislature, the Governor's office, and our state's federal delegation, as well as to legislative staff across the country.

The Center for Rural Health has operated the Rural Assistance Center for nearly ten years and also oversees one other national online information portal, the Rural Health Research Gateway.

Key Contact

Kristine Sande, MBA - Associate Director

Most Recent Publications

• Dental Pain Management in Dental Clinics, Emergency Rooms, and Primary Care Settings in North Dakota
  This fact sheet describes emergency room data and results from a survey among North Dakota dentists to better understand dental pain management, dentists' screening practices, and risk factors associated with and predictive of opioid prescribing behavior.
  Author(s): Schroeder, S., Knutson, S.
  Date: June 2020
  Type: Fact Sheet
• Farm Stress: Facts, Impact of COVID-19, and Resource and Training Needs of Mental Health Care Providers
  This brief shares feedback and data about farm stress, mental health implications, and COVID-19.
  Author(s): Schroeder, S., Heitkamp, T., Clark, B., Holiday, E., Breigenzer, A., Johnson, S.
  Date: June 2020
  Type: Fact Sheet
• MHTTC Network: Addressing Mental Health Workforce Needs
  This document defines the mental health workforce and workforce development, identifies major needs of the mental health workforce, and highlights projects of the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network designed to address those needs.
  Author(s): Davidson, L., Schroeder, S.
  Date: June 2020
  Type: Fact Sheet
• Mental Health Resources for K-12 Educators During COVID-19
  This product compiles all recent toolkits, guides, tip sheets, and infographics that have been developed by reputable sources to assist educators throughout the current health pandemic (COVID-19).
  Author(s): Schroeder, S., Heitkamp, T., Diers, L., Winfield, S.
  Date: April 2020
  Type: Fact Sheet
• Mental Health Resources for Parents and Caregivers during COVID-19
  This product compiles all recent toolkits, guides, tip sheets, and infographics that have been developed by reputable sources to assist parents and caregivers throughout the current health pandemic (COVID-19).
  Author(s): Schroeder, S., Heitkamp, T., Diers, L., Winfield, S.
  Date: April 2020
  Type: Fact Sheet

Most Recent Presentations

• Elder Abuse and Grandparent Abuse
  Presented by Gray, J. on Jul 30, 2020 at the Shoshone Bannock Tribe, Webinar
• A Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) eToolkit: Collaborative Framework to Build Capacity for Community Engagement for SORHs
  Presented by Nissen, K., Reiten, J., Breigenzer, A. on Jul 15, 2020 at the State Offices of Rural Health Region E Meeting, via Zoom
• A Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA): Collaborative Framework to Build Capacity for Community Engagement
  Presented by Nissen, K. on Jun 02, 2020 at the University of North Dakota College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines, PhD Class, Grand Forks, North Dakota
• Rural Health Research Dissemination
  Presented by Schroeder, S. on May 15, 2020 at the Rural PREP Professional Development Series, Webinar
• Creating a "Better Poster"
  Presented by Schroeder, S. on Apr 07, 2020 at the Graduate Professional Development, University of South Carolina, Webinar