Community Stories

Health improvement efforts from around the country

How data can inspire a community: Starke County, IN

December 12, 2016

Starke County, Indiana, is a rural county that is home to 23,197 people. Despite Starke County’s small size, it’s also a community that is...

New River Valley: Healthy by Design Transforms and Empowers Youth Participants

December 13, 2013

The New River Valley Region, nestled in the foothills and valleys of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is in the mid-Appalachian Region. It includes Montgomery...

Making Changes by Focusing on What Works

November 26, 2013

For county health officers, sometimes raising awareness isn’t enough. To make lasting change, focusing on programs and initiatives that are proven to be successful...

The Power of Relationships: Rapid Response to a Youth Suicide Cluster

March 13, 2013

Known as Washington State's gateway to the Pacific Islands and the Olympic Peninsula, Grays Harbor County, a mostly rural community, is grappling with effects...

PART I: Empowering the Grassroots in Holmes County, MS

March 11, 2013

When Dr. Detra Bishop, Pastor, pulled into the John Wesley United Methodist Church parking lot in the middle of the week she couldn’t believe...

Never Giving Up: Addressing Drug Addiction in Scott County, Indiana

September 4, 2012

What would you do if the county you’d lived in and loved for many decades was ranked the least healthy county in your state...

Part II: Collaborating to Improve Health Behaviors in Genesee County, Michigan

March 21, 2011

In an April 2011 Rankings in Action webinar, Kirk Smith, president and CEO of the Greater Flint Health Coalition (GFHC) commented that the 2011...