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Rural Assistance Center and Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis Launch Rural Care Coordination Toolkit

Press Release

GRAND FORKS, N.Dak., Feb. 6, 2014 — The Rural Assistance Center (RAC) and NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis are announcing a new Rural Care Coordination Toolkit to help rural communities and organizations identify and implement a care coordination program. This toolkit contains resources to help communities develop programs that can improve quality and continuity of care, as well as patient outcomes, building on best practices of successful care coordination program models. The toolkit is available for free on the RAC website.

“Care coordination empowers patients to take care of their health which often results in better health outcomes.  For example, patients in care coordination programs often take a pro-active role in seeking timely health care and are less likely to seek care in emergency departments,” commented Alana Knudson, Co-Director of the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis. “Many care coordination programs have also been instrumental in helping elderly patients live independently in their rural communities. The Care Coordination toolkit is a great resource for rural health care providers who would like to implement a program that addresses their patients’ unique needs.”

The toolkit is made up of several modules. Each concentrates on different aspects of developing and implementing care coordination programs. Modules also include resources to use in developing a program for your area.

Content for the Rural Care Coordination Toolkit was developed by the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis as part of the Rural Community Health Gateway. The Gateway, located on the RAC website, is designed to help rural communities learn about proven methods of providing rural residents with better access to health care services. Development of these resources is part of an ongoing effort by NORC and RAC to provide evidence-based health information to rural America.

Funding for this project is provided by the federal Office of Rural Health Policy, part of the Health Resources and Services Administration.

“Care coordination empowers patients to take care of their health which often results in better health outcomes. The Care Coordination toolkit is a great resource for rural health care providers who would like to implement a program that addresses their patients’ unique needs.”

Alana Knudson

Co-Director of the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis

“Care coordination empowers patients to take care of their health which often results in better health outcomes. The Care Coordination toolkit is a great resource for rural health care providers who would like to implement a program that addresses their patients’ unique needs.”

About the Rural Assistance Center
The Rural Assistance Center (RAC) helps people learn about programs, funding and research that can assist them in improving and maintaining healthcare and human services in rural communities. Located at the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, RAC provides information and customized assistance through its call center and online resource library, www.raconline.org.

Contact: Kristine Sande, Program Director (701-777-646 or ksande@raconline.org)


About the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis

The Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis' mission is to conduct timely policy analysis, research and evaluation to inform policy makers and other key stakeholders on issues that impact the health status of rural Americans. Learn more about the Walsh Center at walshcenter.norc.org and NORC at www.norc.org.


About NORC at the University of Chicago

NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.

www.norc.org

Contact: For more information, please contact Eric Young at NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).


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