American Heart Association
Confronting health challenges faced by 66 million people in rural U.S. communities through science, education and advocacy.
Small towns have a big problem with health care. But they also have the resilience to meet the problem. People in rural communities live almost three years fewer than urban dwellers, and they’re more likely to die early from heart disease or a stroke.
The reasons are varied and not always understood.
Higher rates of tobacco use, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure increase the risk for serious diseases. Rural communities face severe shortages of health care professionals. People may live a long way from hospitals or clinics. Or they may reside in “food deserts,” remote from reliable access to healthy food.
Even so, the advantages of rural life, including a strong sense of connection, of neighbors helping neighbors, provide a sturdy foundation for overcoming these health disparities.
The American Heart Association visited Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky, The Dakotas and West Virginia to try to understand the rural health challenges people face, and how they are working to overcome them. Watch our Health Wanted video reports to see how they’re responding to improve their communities.
Great distances and multiple health care systems in the nation’s largest state.
The Ioway tribe grapples with food insecurity by returning to traditional farming methods.
People face rugged terrain, long distances and other barriers to health.
Long distances and fewer medical professionals impact emergency response.
While the state ranks low in many health categories, people there are working to make a difference.
The AHA has issued a Presidential Advisory identifying rural health challenge as one of three main barriers to health equity and is making a wide-ranging effort to address it in close cooperation with communities that are affected.
The Advisory highlights these urgent needs:
Improving care at hospitals and clinics with no-cost access to Get With the Guidelines® programs for coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke.
Enlisting service-minded people to work in rural communities to improve heart health.
HeartCorps is a service opportunity for those interested in driving health equity in rural America with the AHA.
Funding $20 million in projects to find fresh solutions to the issues.
We’re dedicated to removing barriers to health – such as the challenges rural Americans face. We’re telling these stories to raise awareness about these problems. Join our efforts to combat issues in rural America and in other communities.
Donate: Your gift can help support the full mission of the AHA, including increased access to care.
May 16, 2024
As the Ioway move away from conventional monocropping, their Kansas reservation has become an example of farming without herbicides and pesticides.
May 13, 2024
The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska aims to improve healthy food access, reopen trade routes, care for the environment – and change the way farming works.
May 9, 2024
North Dakota turns to telemedicine and community education to cope with heart and health care challenges in rural areas.