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NORC at the University Chicago
NORC leverages the strengths and assets of rural communities to improve the health and well-being of their residents.

Rural areas are the source of much of our food, drinking water, energy production, and outdoor recreation. What’s more, one in five Americans—including a disproportionate number of veterans and active-duty service members—lives in a rural community. And those communities are unceasingly diverse—one in four Americans is a person of color. All of this makes the study of the health needs and challenges of rural Americans essential to everyone.

NORC has deep and longstanding expertise in rural health, having examined issues contributing to the health of rural Americans since publishing its first rural study in 1952. Our work focuses on identifying solutions that leverage the many strengths and assets of rural communities to improve the health and well-being of their residents while advancing health equity.

Our Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis has a team of talented and dedicated researchers who partner with rural residents, health providers, public health departments, and other entities committed to improving the health of rural residents. The center focuses on a wide array of issues affecting rural communities, including:

  • Access to care
  • Aging
  • Economic development
  • Emergency preparedness
  • Health care quality
  • Medicare payment policies
  • Payment and delivery models
  • Public health
  • Rural health workforce
  • Telehealth
  • Tribal health
  • Veterans’ health

Rural Health Experts

Highlighted Projects

Development of a Rural Recovery Ecosystem Index

The nation’s first-ever county-level index of a community’s substance use recovery ecosystem

Client:

HRSA Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Appalachian Overdose Mapping Tool

An online tool enables sophisticated analysis of opioid crisis in Appalachia

Client:

Appalachian Regional Commission

Alaska Healthcare Transformation Project

Producing a roadmap to reduce health care costs and improve health outcomes

Client:

Alaska Healthcare Transformation Project

Understanding CRNA Contributions to OB Care in Rural & Underserved Areas

Using mixed-methods evaluation and data linkage to study the experiences of certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs)

Client:

American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Foundation

Obesity Prevalence & Comorbidity Map

An interactive mapping tool offering insights into prevalence of obesity and related chronic diseases

Client:

Novo Nordisk

Community Health Toolkits for Rural America

Evidence-based approaches for building effective rural community health programs

Client:

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration

COVID-19 Impact Survey

Providing real-time data collection during the onset of the pandemic

Client:

The Data Foundation

Value-Based Payment in South Dakota Medicaid

Examining options to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of care

Client:

South Dakota Medicaid

Adult Obesity in Rural America

An analysis of obesity prevalence, sociodemographic factors, and access to care in rural and urban counties

Client:

Novo Nordisk

Rural Emergency Preparedness & Response Toolkit

Supporting disaster planning, response, and recovery efforts in rural America

Funder:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration

Evaluation of the YMCA ForeverWell Expansion Project

NORC evaluated a holistic health and wellness program for older adults living in rural communities

Funder:

YMCA of the USA

Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy & Health Disparities Among Rural Farmworkers

Using Migrant and Seasonal Head Start infrastructure to distribute COVID-19 vaccines and document health disparities

Client:

W. K. Kellogg Foundation

Improving Rural Health Care Delivery in Maryland’s Mid-Shore Region

Developing innovative health care delivery models with the University of Maryland

Client:

Maryland Health Care Commission

Expanding Hearing Loss Education & Awareness

The nation’s first ever state- and county-level hearing loss prevalence estimates

Client:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

SBIRT Community Outreach in New York State

Implementing a novel Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model to serve disproportionately affected populations

Client:

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

COVID-19 Vaccination Success Stories in Rural Communities

A qualitative study exploring lessons learned from COVID-19 vaccination efforts in rural communities

Client:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Assessing the Effects of Smokeless Tobacco Influencer Marketing in the Rapidly Changing Media Environment

The first comprehensive study to examine the effects of social media promotion of smokeless tobacco use among rural and urban populations

Funder:

National Cancer Institute and the Food and Drug Administration

Older Adults and Caregivers in Public Health Emergencies

A study of the needs of older adults and caregivers during COVID-19 and resources to help them

Client:

CDC Foundation

ND HOPES Suicide Prevention Initiative

Implementing a multi-tiered approach to suicide prevention in western North Dakota

Client:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

ND THRIVES: North Dakota Rural and Tribal Suicide Care Initiative

Implementing community-based suicide prevention program for youth in north-central and northeastern North Dakota

Funder:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Evaluation of the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model

Assessing efforts to improve the financial health of rural hospitals and maintain access to care

Client:

Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Policies Influencing Rural Latino Health Study

Collecting data on rural Latino experiences and perspectives of health care and immigration policies

Client:

University of California, Merced

Healthy Illinois Survey

One of the largest state-level health surveys in the United States, providing high-resolution information for all of Illinois

Client:

Illinois Department of Public Health