Approximately 20% of Americans live in rural areas covering more than 97% of U.S. land mass (census.gov). Each rural area is unique but all share the challenge of limited resources and population. This session will identify challenges of rural coalitions and look at them through a lens of strength. It is easy to get bogged down in listing resource gaps and what we don’t have. However, by identifying what a community has, and building on existing resources and partners, rural communities can accomplish a lot. Join us for a discussion on how communities have problem solved to fill gaps and address health disparities.
Objectives:
- Participants will be able to complete an in-depth analysis of existing resources and gaps in their rural communities.
- Participants will be able to look through a lens of opportunity when identifying challenges and gaps.
- Participants will have examples from other coalitions on how to partner existing resources to create additional resources.
- Participants will see their rural identify as a strength to celebrate.
