The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth assessment of the response of local rural health care systems to the unique needs of a growing Latino population in four rural Midwest communities. This project will use a qualitative case study approach to document successful programs, communication strategies, outreach efforts, and other strategies that have been used to increase access to care and improve service delivery to a growing Latino population in the rural Midwest. This project will assess health care access and public health issues for rural Latinos in a select group of rural communities, document successful local and state-wide strategies to meeting these needs, and use this initial qualitative work to develop recommendations for next-phase research to systematically identify and evaluate best practices to meet the health care needs of Latinos in rural areas. The final report will document successful strategies that could be adopted by other communities facing similar challenges posed by changing demographics in the rural Midwest.

Publications

• The Response of Local Health Care Systems in the Rural Midwest to a Growing Latino Population
  University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 08/2003
  This paper reports on the case studies of rural communities in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska, documenting successful strategies that could be adopted by other communities facing challenges to their rural healthcare system in meeting the needs of a growing Latino population.