Kentucky Rural Health Works Program

University of Kentucky · College of Agriculture · Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service

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• Dept. of Agricultural Economics
• Community and Economic Development
• Center of Excellence in Rural Health
• Rural Health Works
• Operation Rural Health Works
• Office of Rural Health Policy
• Kentucky Hospital Association

The health care sector plays a vital role in the economy of rural communities and is an essential component of rural development. In 1998, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania initiated a five state pilot project that would expand public awareness of the economic importance of health care sector in rural communities. Kentucky Rural Health Works Program (KRHW) originated from Operation Rural Health Works Project (RHW). The RHW Project was originally sponsored by the Rural Policy Research Institute, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service.

KY Rural Health Works Program will show rural communities and their leaders the direct and indirect impact of health care on rural development and business growth. For example, the health care sector is often second, only to the school system, as the largest employer in rural counties, and often accounts for 15 to 20 percent of all jobs within a community.

Through the KY Rural Health Works Program, the University of Kentucky's College of Agriculture’s Department of Agricultural Economics, the Cooperative Extension Service, the UK Center of Excellence in Rural Health, and the Kentucky State Office of Rural Health will work collaboratively to assist Kentucky communities in promoting access to health care and economic development. This will allow communities to make informed decisions regarding development, recruitment, and service needs. KY Rural Health Works Program will prove to be a valuable tool in community, health, and strategic planning, and will be essential to the development of rural Kentucky communities.

Role & Objectives

The second objective will examine the importance of health care in rural economies and rural economic development. This phase of the analysis will evaluate the economic impact and importance of the health care sector to the rural economy and rural economic development.

The IMPLAN model is used to establish the existing importance of the health care sector in the rural economy. This model is also used to examine the types and quality of jobs created in the rural economic development both as a job creating and input-purchasing industry and as a factor in other types of business location decisions.

Benefits to Rural Communities

• Promote rural economic development
• Increase access to rural health care
• Promote rural community health planning
• Increase financial sustainability for rural hospitals and communities
• Strengthen rural communities & health care systems

Benefits to Health Care Providers

• Promote health network development
• Estimate demand for services
• Evaluate new lines of services
• Evaluate market share
• Optimize operational and administrative decisions

Examples…

• Demand for new health clinic
• Prospective use for new clinic
• Financial feasibility and location of new outpatient surgical unit
• Response to service demands from new county industrial park