With the goal of eliminating health disparities in rural communities, Penn State College of Medicine launched the Center for Health Equity in Rural and Underserved Communities (CAHE-RUC). This new, innovative center is dedicated to understanding, eliminating and reducing health disparities affecting rural and underserved communities in Pennsylvania and beyond.
The center will initially focus on reducing cancer-related health disparities and improving health literacy and education about cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes for minority, underserved and rural populations. In the long term, CAHE-RUC intends to expand patient-centered health research based on precision medicine and implementation science to address health disparities.
“Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease experienced by populations that have been historically and systemically disadvantaged,” said Karen Kim, MD, MS, dean of the Penn State College of Medicine. “Our faculty, students, and staff in our departments, centers, and institutes are committed to understanding mechanisms and innovative interventions to mitigate rural health disparities across the spectrum of basic, translational, and clinical sciences, as well as community-engaged research and inclusive policies.”
Like many states across the country, Pennsylvania is 70 percent rural, requiring a collaborative, multi-sector approach to improve the health of these vulnerable communities. CAHE-RUC will leverage Penn State’s robust infrastructure and interdisciplinary research capabilities, including colleges, Commonwealth campuses, and the College of Medicine’s nationally recognized multidisciplinary institutes and centers focused on rural health. In addition, CAHE-RUC will collaborate with Penn State Health’s public health and health equity teams to identify and address local health disparities.
CAHE-RUC is an academic partnership between Penn State College of Medicine and the national nonprofit community organization Asian Health Coalition (AHC). AHC’s many years of work will contribute to the creation of the foundational CAHE-RUC model.
For more than 25 years, AHC has been committed to eliminating health disparities among rural and underserved communities. Using a collaborative, partnership approach with over 45 diverse ethnic community organizations and academic institutions across the country, AHC has supported the development and implementation of culturally and linguistically appropriate health equity initiatives that address disparities in cancer and mental health as well as in the host country . other chronic and infectious diseases.
“This is a turning point in addressing health disparities among Pennsylvania’s rural and underserved communities,” said CAHE-RUC’s inaugural director Fornessa T. Randal, EdD, MCRP, assistant professor of medicine and public health and associate director for research. Excellence and Engagement with Health Systems (OREHE) at Penn State Cancer Institute and Executive Director of AHC. “Through our interdisciplinary and multi-methodological approaches, we strive to achieve results that benefit the whole person in wider communities. Our long-standing partnership will expand Penn State’s portfolio of well-established research programs, centers and institutes to provide a blueprint for addressing health care challenges. equity locally and nationally.”
Improving health equity and promoting holistic public health approaches that transcend geographic considerations have profound implications. Recognizing that health disparities are influenced by a range of social determinants, including socioeconomic status, education, social networks, and barriers to health care such as transportation and food security, encourages the development of comprehensive solutions. By examining the complex interactions of health disparities, systemic changes can be made in urban and rural settings depending on need and location.
“Penn State College of Medicine remains committed to innovative initiatives that have a lasting and positive impact on health in rural communities,” Kim said. “The creation of the Center for Health Equity in Rural and Underserved Communities expands our ongoing commitment to promoting healthier and more equitable communities in Pennsylvania and beyond.”
To learn more about CAHE-RUC, click here.
About Penn State College of Medicine
The Penn State College of Medicine, located on the campus of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, boasts a funded research portfolio of more than $150 million. Projects range from developing artificial organs and advanced diagnostics to revolutionary cancer treatments and understanding the fundamental causes of disease. The College of Medicine’s two campuses, which welcomed its first students in 1967, are home to more than 1,700 students and trainees in the fields of medicine, nursing, health professions and biomedical research.
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