Section: Module 3: Lesson 2: Barriers and Solutions for Healthcare Delivery in Rural Communities | Rural Health and Aging | NextGenU.org

  • Student Learning Outcomes:
    Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
    • Discuss the challenges to healthcare delivery in rural communities.
    • Explain how infrastructure is relevant to quality healthcare delivery for both public health and healthcare.
    • Describe the concept of healthcare and public health infrastructure.
    • Assess the key features of public health and healthcare infrastructure in rural United States.
    • Examine healthcare models used in healthcare delivery in rural communities.
    • Review a sample of recommendations on public health and healthcare infrastructure for improved healthcare delivery.
    • Discuss possible ways in which healthcare models and recommendations can be implemented to improve healthcare delivery for older adults.
    • Elaborate on the possible challenges in implementing models and recommendations for improved healthcare delivery in rural communities.
    Approximate time required to complete the readings (at 144 words/minute) and assignments for this lesson: 8 hours and 45 minutes.

    • Students must
      Mark as done
      Required Learning Resources and Activities
    • url icon
      Healthcare Access in Rural Communities. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the following sections: (23 minutes)
      1. What are barriers to healthcare access in rural areas?
      2. What types of healthcare services are frequently difficult to access in rural areas?
      3. How do rural healthcare facility and service closures impact access to care? 

      The Rural Health Information Hub-2019

    • url icon
      Advancing Universal Health Coverage in South Asian Cities: A Framework. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read content under "Access to Healthcare." (4 minutes)

      Europe PMC Funders Group-2018

    • url icon
      Five Things You Need to Know about Health Infrastructures. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire article. (5 minutes)

      United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security-2020

    • url icon
      Infrastructure - The Key to Healthcare Improvement. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire article. (14 minutes)

      NCBI-2015

    • url icon
      Public Health Infrastructure. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the following sections of the article: (2 minutes)
      1. Overview.
      2. Why is Public Health Structure Important?
      3. Understanding Public Health Infrastructure.

      Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, US Department of Health and Human Services-2021

    • url icon
      Rural Public Health Agencies. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the following section of the page: (4 minutes)
      1. What infrastructure and governance exists in rural areas for public health agencies?

      Rural Health Information Hub-2020

    • url icon
      Module 2: Rural Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Program Approaches. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire module introduction and all the links provided in the subsection program models. (9 minutes)

      • Community Organization Model
      • Community Readiness Model
      • PRECEDE/PROCEED
      • Clinical Model
      • Workplace Model

      Rural Health Information Hub-2018

    • url icon
      Establishing and Maintaining Public Health Infrastructure in Rural Communities. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read Chapter 4: Recommendations. (8 minutes)

      Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis-2012

    • url icon
      Module 3: Implementing a Rural Community Health Program. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the subsection: Implementation Considerations. (5 minutes)

      Rural Health Information Hub-2017

    • url icon
      Module 4: Implementation Strategies for Rural Aging in Place Programs. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the following sections of the module: (8 minutes)
      • Implementation Challenges
      • Staff Training and Education
      • Financial Resources
      • Technology
      • Partnerships

      Rural Health Information Hub-2019

    • url icon
      Module 2: Evidence-Based and Promising Aging in Place Program Models. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the section that aligns with your chosen model in the Peer Activity. (Estimated time to complete peer activity (540 minutes).
      • Housing
      • Legal Assistance
      • Telehealth/Home Health
      • Caregivers and Caregiver Well-Being
      • Transportation Programs
      • Community Integration
      • Community Supports
      • Designing Age-Friendly Communities

      Rural Health Information Hub-2019

    • url icon
      Establishing and Maintaining Public Health Infrastructure in Rural Communities. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the content under the heading "Challenges to Infrastructure Establishment" on pages 14-16. (6 minutes)

      Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis-2012

    • url icon
      Rural Behavioral Health LC: Understanding the Opioid Crisis & Community Strategies URL
      Students must
      View

      Watch the entire webinar. (83 minutes)

    • url icon
      Aging, the Opioid Crisis, & Treatment Considerations for American Indian & Alaska Native Communities URL
      Students must
      View

      Watch the entire webinar The LTSS webinar introduces participants to the Opioid Response Network (STR-TA) and provides an overview of the intersection of aging and the opioid epidemic. Presenters discussed examples and implications for treatment and care in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. (61 minutes)

    • forum icon
      Peer Activity 3: Implementing Recommendations and a Rural Health Model to Support Rural Aging in Place. (540 minutes) Forum
      Students must
      View
      Start discussions: 1

      In this activity, you will discuss the process of implementing some recommendations and a rural health model to support rural aging in place. 

      Step 1: Review

      Study the given scenario:

      You have been invited to participate in a speaking engagement event titled “Rural Aging in Place: On Maintaining Independence, Autonomy, and Connection.” Prior to this event, you attended a stakeholder meeting to review some recommendations on public health and healthcare infrastructure to improve healthcare delivery.

      As a speaker, you are requested to deliver a talk on how to improve and support rural aging in place by implementing the following:

        1. Recommendations on public health and healthcare infrastructures on rural healthcare delivery.
        2. One selected model from the eight models that support rural aging in place.

       The eight models are as follows: 

              • Housing
              • Legal Assistance
              • Telehealth/Home Health
              • Caregivers and Caregiver Well-Being
              • Transportation Programs
              • Community Integration
              • Community Supports
              • Designing Age-Friendly Communities

      Note:  As talk guides, review the following course readings again:

      Establishing and Maintaining Public Health Infrastructure in Rural Communities.
      (Read Chapter 4: Recommendations)

      Module 2: Evidence-Based and Promising Aging in Place Program Models.
       (Read the section that aligns with your chosen model in the Peer Activity)

      Step 2: Respond

      Prepare a 3-5 minute talk about the implementation of the recommendations on infrastructures and chosen health model to support rural aging in place, with the following highlights:

          • Key features of the recommendations on infrastructures and health model.
          • A real-life example of the health model anywhere in the world.
          • Possible challenges when implementing both the recommendations on infrastructures and health model.
          • Possible ways to effectively implement both the recommendations on infrastructures and health model in the rural aging community.

      Step 3: Present

      Present your talk by recording yourself using Loom or any video-recording/video curation tool that allows you to share your work through a link. 

      Step 4: Share

      To share your work, click on the “Reply” button under this post and paste the shareable link of your talk in the “Message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B. references are excluded from word counts).

      Step 5: Interact

      Evaluate and categorize the work from one of your peers based on items A - E of this rubric. Provide a rationale for the grade you provided, as well as comments or suggestions for improvement. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.” You can use the list below as an example:

      Item A is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item B is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item C is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item D is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….
      Item E is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….

      OPTIONAL Step 6: Interact (10 minutes)

      If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”

    • quiz icon
      Quiz: Module 3

      To access the quiz, click on the name of the quiz provided above. On the following screen, click the "Preview quiz now" button to respond to the questions.
      TO PASS THIS QUIZ YOU MUST OBTAIN A SCORE OF 21/26
      Not available unless: The activity Quiz: Module 2 is complete and passed
    • Students must
      Mark as done
      Additional Learning Options
    • url icon
      Primary Health Care Delivery Models in Rural and Remote Australia – A Systematic Review. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire article. (23 minutes)

      BMC Health Services Research-2008

    • url icon
      Towards a Better Health Care Delivery System: The Tamil Nadu Model. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire article. (12 minutes)

      Indian Journal of Community Medicine-2016

    • url icon
      Reform and Innovation for Better Rural Health Services in China. URL
      Students must
      View

      Read entire article. (11 minutes)

      The World Bank-2015