ENID, Okla. — Rural Well being Initiatives started in 1989 with the aim of enhancing access to and high-quality of overall health treatment expert services in rural Oklahoma. Thirty decades afterwards, that goal continues to be component of its diversified mission statement.
This calendar year marks the 30th anniversary of RHP turning into a 501©3 corporation, claimed Executive Director Allison Seigars. The nonprofit started as an Location Health and fitness Schooling Center (AHEC).
“There are AHECs in each individual condition,” Seigars explained, “but most individuals have by no means listened to of them. Their position is to recruit, practice and keep health and fitness industry experts for underserved places, like rural communities. They do some local community education, but which is not their primary purpose.”
Rural Wellbeing Tasks is now an umbrella firm for a range of grants and contracts. The AHEC, for instance, is actually an Oklahoma State College program that contracts with RHP for administration. At present, the plans include things like an outreach to Marshall Islanders in Enid’s rural population, the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust’s (TSET) Healthier Living Software, HIV treatment, plans for seniors and, the main target for now, a COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence software that aims to cut down vaccine hesitancy in 11 Northwest Oklahoma counties.
A workforce of about 15 whole-time personnel operates to fulfill a myriad of desires with offered resources. Seigars mentioned the bulk of RHP’s funding comes by using HRSA grants — funding awarded by the Well being Methods & Products and services Administration, a federal place of work. The business also has designed programs working with the TSET Wholesome Residing 2. grant method, the intention of which is “to make improvements to overall health by preventing or minimizing tobacco use, bettering diet and escalating physical exercise in an effort to lower untimely demise in Oklahoma.”
“We did a community demands evaluation ahead of coming up with the application,” Seigars explained. “The grant is assisting us generate a more healthy natural environment for the people today who are living in Garfield County.”
RHP does offer wellbeing training to rural Oklahomans, but the bulk of its operate is not with the typical community — it is programmatic and advocatory. Staff also aggregate information and facts about means similar to social determinants of health: work, transportation, food stuff, clean drinking water, risk-free housing, and many others. They have obtain to a My Treatment system that helps clientele study accessible methods.
In its function as the contracting administrator of the Rural Health and fitness Affiliation of Oklahoma, RHP also organizes the once-a-year Oklahoma Rural Health Meeting — all are welcome to show up at — in the drop of just about every calendar year. Seigars explained a day has not been picked for the 2022 meeting.
