Central Michigan University Rural Health Equity Institute

All people living in rural areas can live their healthiest life possible. 

We envision rural communities across Michigan and America as diverse communities of healthy people, places, and providers, who access world-class care and human services. Healthy rural communities capitalize on a wealth of local strengths and assets, resourceful innovation, building alliances, rural values, and culture – local places where every person in the community has power, allies, and agency to make decisions for improving their own health and for advancing the well-being of their community.

Values

• Culture of Collaboration - creating collaborative partnerships that reflect the unique infrastructure and the underlying social and situational challenges for each rural community.
• Equity - the fair and just allocation of public resources that provides an equal opportunity for all rural people and places to innovate, grow and thrive.
• Diversity - both an acknowledgment and an understanding that each rural person is unique and welcome regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical ability, politics, religion or other belief characteristics.
• Determination - the opportunity for rural people and communities to direct their future.
• Access - the timely availability of personal health and human services to pursue the best health outcomes.

Bridging innovation and impact to improve the health and well-being of rural communities.

Improve Care Access

Improving care access and rural health outcomes by:

• Removing obstacles that interfere with patients’ care and access to health services for rural and marginalized populations.
• Addressing rural health disparities (geriatric, mental health, chronic conditions) and social and structural drivers of health.

Community Partnership Outreach

Engaging communities by strengthening community action and building alliances with coalitions, organizations, and those who have experienced marginalization to promote well-being, quality of life, and improve the health status of residents.

• AHEC Network.
• Academic Partnerships.
• FQHC’s, Rural Hospitals, Clinics.
• Rural Health Districts/Network.
• State and National Partners.

Advance Rural Health Equity Data

Advancing rural health equity data and solutions by collaborating with partners to fill gaps in existing data and tools to:

• Collect data elements in more interoperable ways.
• Expand telehealth capacity and standardized data for sociodemographic elements.

Education and Training

Building capacity by linking partners for workforce development to:

About us

The staff of the RHEI are dedicated to improving health care access and health outcomes in medically underserved, rural communities.

Rural health resources

The RHEI works with federal, state and local organizations to position services to optimize engagement with rural communities and leverage resources to improve the health and well-being of rural residents.