Rural Healthy People 2010:

A Companion Document to Healthy People 2010

VOLUME 3 (Part A):

Introduction, Overviews, Models for Practice

Introduction to Rural Healthy People 2010 (Volume 3)

Rural Healthy People 2010 (RHP2010) is comprised of Volumes 1 and 2 released in May 2003 and Volume 3, released in 2004. Volume 1 contains brief overviews of the top rural health concerns and objectives associated with Healthy People 2010 focus areas, references to key literature about these concerns, and descriptions of models for practice that rural communities can draw upon to achieve key Healthy People 2010 (HP2010) objectives. Volume 2 is an appendix that presents more detailed literature reviews and associated references for the top rural health concerns. Volume 3 is currently available in electronic format at the Rural Healthy People 2010 website at www.srph.tamhsc.edu/rhp2010. Volume 3 is divided into two parts. Part A includes overviews from research on five new focus areas and accompanying models for practice. Part B contains the more detailed literature reviews corresponding to the same topics covered in the overviews in Part A.

The rural health priorities examined here are Healthy People 2010 focus areas and/or objectives associated with health conditions and/or access to care conditions. The focus in both the overviews and literature reviews is on summarizing research findings that outline important factors related to the rural health conditions being explored by professionals and other interested parties in states and rural communities.

The focus of the Models for Practice are actual organized efforts by rural counties to address rural health needs associated with the five Healthy People 2010 topic areas covered in Volume 3. We encourage and invite professionals, providers, community leaders and stakeholders in rural health to continue to nominate rural health Models for Practice that may be included in future Rural Healthy People 2010 publications.

Additional information on the Rural Healthy People 2010 project is provided in the Introductions to Volumes 1 and 2.