image: East Tennessee State University College of Public Health
Credit: East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University received one of only eight highly competitive federal Rural Health Research Center grants this month, providing four more years of funding for the ETSU/NORC Rural Health Equity Research Center (RHERC).
Awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, the four-year award totals $2.8 million and will provide funding for the RHERC to continue conducting robust research as it relates to rural health.
It is the second time the center has received this grant, also securing it in 2020, shortly after the creation of the Center for Rural Health and Research.
The RHERC is a joint venture between ETSU’s Center for Rural Health and Research, part of the ETSU College of Public Health, and NORC at the University of Chicago’s Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis. This successful partnership has brought together NORC's long history of rural health research and evaluation and ETSU's commitment to honor its rural heritage through research, education and service.
RHERC’s mission is to conduct robust rural health research that informs strategies and recommendations for policymakers, rural health care providers and rural communities to improve health and well-being by improving access to health care and behavioral health services and advancing health equity.
“We are delighted to be awarded another four years of funding to conduct RHERC’s important research that informs health policy and supports rural communities’ vitality. A healthy and vibrant rural America is foundational to our country’s success,” noted Alana Knudson, director of the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis and the Rural Health Equity Research Center.
Over the next four years, the center will conduct studies exploring rural health inequities, with a focus on access to health care and behavioral health services.
“This funding will be critically important for our research going forward, and to receive it for a second time speaks to the impact our research has on rural Americans, and especially here in Appalachia,” said Michael Meit, director of the ETSU Center for Rural Health and Research (CRHR) and deputy director of the Rural Health Equity Research Center.
ETSU is home to numerous health-focused research centers committed to improving the lives and well-being of those in Central Appalachia and beyond. Partnerships with organizations such as the Appalachian Regional Commission and Ballad Health have positioned ETSU well to make an impact in Appalachia, while support such as through this HRSA award allow ETSU to demonstrate its impact across the United States.
To learn more about the ETSU/NORC Rural Health Equity Research Center, visit www.etsu.edu/cph/rural-health-equity/.
About East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.