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S.C. Rural Health Research Center awarded $4.4 million in funding for studies, outreach
December 4, 2012
Amy Martin
Jan Probst
Rural America is an essential part of our nation’s fabric, but it can be hard to find health and dental care there. The South Carolina Rural Health Research Center (SCRHRC) at the University of South Carolina, one of seven federally funded centers across the country, recently received $4.4 million to study health and the delivery of health services for people in rural America.
“These grants will let us continue our work addressing disparities in health and access to care in rural areas of the state and our nation,” said Dr. Jan Probst, SCRHRC director and USC faculty member in the Department of Health Services Policy and Management.
Established in 2000 at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, the SCRHRC plays a vital role in helping health care professionals, government leaders and policy makers understand the persistent disparities in health status among rural Americans.
“Over the years, our center has shared its research with many people and organizations working to improve the quality of life for rural residents,” Probst said. “About one in five people in the United States lives in a rural area. This is a significant number who live in areas with too few doctors and other health care providers, must travel great distances to hospitals and health care facilities and may have trouble getting health insurance.”
Among the awards:
- $2.6 million grant from the Office of Rural Health Policy within the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to fund several rural health policy studies, including those on vulnerable counties, stroke and health care services and delivery by rural Medicare beneficiaries.
- $1.5 million from HRSA will establish the new Division of Oral Health Safety Net System Innovations and Analysis at SCRHRC, directed by Dr. Amy Martin. The SCRHRC is a partner with the Division of Oral Health and Office of Primary Care at the S.C. Department of Environmental Control, the S.C. Dental Association, the College of Dental Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina and the S.C. Office of Rural Health. The funds will enable researchers to address access to care for underserved and under/uninsured people; make improvements in water fluoridation in seven S.C. counties; develop a feasibility study for teledentistry; and establish a Community Oral Health Community Training Center.
- $300,000 for the new oral health division at SCRHRC from the DentaQuest Foundation for the implementation of a Community Oral Health Coordination model in Greenwood County and surrounding areas.
Visit http://rhr.sph.sc.edu to learn more about the SCRHRC, located in the Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health.
