Articles #rural

This brief describes an unfolding learning journey intended to strengthen social connection, resident voice, and agency to address inequities in rural health and well-being. Along the way, we have come to realize the important lessons for each of our institutions and ways in which we are better off for having taken this approach to our work.

This article discusses the REACH Healthcare Foundation’s original approach to their Rural Health Initiative and how it adjusted that approach in response to its rural partners’ experiences. It reflects on the challenges encountered in rooting the four conditions and capacities of community change and innovation – supports for implementation; foundational structures; skills and processes; and community engagement – into the work of community health improvement.

In partnership with the residents of rural Bastrop County through network building and network weaving, a community engagement and leadership development approach, residents are beginning to develop new relationships to catalyze and leverage community strengths to empower residents to transform their community in ways that improve the conditions in which people live, work, and play.