Showcasing What Works in Rural Health Across Maine
Help us build a resource of real-world strategies and solutions by nominating effective rural health programs, people, or practices.
Welcome to the Field Guide to Rural Health in Maine!
Lots of interesting and innovative rural health initiatives, projects, and programs are happening all over the state of Maine, but finding information about them can be challenging.
This Field Guide was created to help inform, inspire, and encourage connections among people and organizations who want to improve the health and well-being of people and communities in rural Maine.
The Field Guide to Rural Health in Maine was created as an easy-to-use resource to help you:
Locate projects in your region or topic of interest
Connect with the people behind the projects
Get ideas for new or expanded initiatives
Learn about funding sources
Understand the depth, breadth, and impact of rural health activity in Maine
And much, much more!
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Please refer to the New England Rural Health Association’s Rural Data Analysis Dashboard for more about the definition used for rural.
The State Office of Rural Health in the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention led the development of the Guide and is partnering with the New England Rural Health Association to design and host this website.
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The Topics section of the Field Guide is made up of individual listings for a project, program, or resource. Projects typically include initiatives that have a discrete beginning and end; programs are typically ongoing initiatives; and resources can include people, organizations, institutions, or other sources of information and expertise.
Listings can include projects, programs, or resources on a specific topic, like substance use disorder, or those that focus on multiple topics, like community-based coalitions.
Click the button on the landing page navigation bar to find a complete list of Topics.
New topics and entries are added based on suggestions made here.
Field Guide Topic Listings
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Each listing contains short, easy-to read descriptions under six common headers:
Program Title, Location, & Funding Sources - Short title of the project, program or resource and the location (region/county/town)
Purpose &Target Population - Brief description of purpose or the problem that led to the creation of the project and the population/s of focus
Planning & Implementation - Brief description of key steps in planning and implementation processes
Best Practices - Use of evidence-based or evidence-informed approaches or models – which ones and how they were used
Challenges & Solutions - Brief description of challenges or barriers encountered and how they were met
Resources - Links or pdfs of related proposals, reports, articles, evaluation studies, or other resources used or produced by the project that are sharable
Contact Information - Name and email address of the key person to contact for more information
Purpose and Target Population
Planning and Implementation
Best Practices
Challenges and Solutions
Resources and Tools
Contact Information
Other Useful Features You’ll Find in the Field Guide
There’s more to discover about rural health in Maine in the Guide, including short video interviews with people who are involved in diverse initiatives across the state. You’ll hear firsthand about why they are investing time and energy into helping their communities and regions become healthier places to live, work, and play in the Notes from the Field section.
In the Resources section, you’ll find links to national, regional, and state organizations involved with rural health, upcoming funding opportunities, and valuable tools, articles, and links that support health professionals and community members alike.
Click here to find out more about Notes from the Field and Resources.
We want to hear from you!
Your feedback is welcome along with nominations for people and programs to be added to the Guide.