Evidence-based health education, including chronic disease self-management programs, is vital in complementing clinical care and building everyday skills to improve quality of life. And this education can be particularly valuable for rural communities where challenges exist when it comes to accessing health care and community-based services.

To help expand access to CDSME for rural older adults, we held a roundtable discussion that resulted in this practical and adaptable toolkit.

Explore our toolkit to find best practices for:

• Building and advancing community partnerships
• Enhancing participant engagement
• Adapting and effectively delivering evidence-based programs
• Overcoming key barriers in rural communities, such as transportation and connectivity for virtual access to care

In contrast to the simplified picture of barren landscapes with limited people and no resources, or the idealized view of freedom on the plains, the rural landscape is more complex and complicated. Both opportunities and challenges within rural communities impact the effective implementation of evidence-based programs.

The toolkit focuses on "highlighting and leveraging what makes rural communities unique to advance" evidence-based programs. 

For a guided tour, view our webinar: Empowering Change: Promoting and Expanding Evidence-Based Programs in Rural Communities.

This project was supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $2,000,000 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.