Central Michigan University Rural Health Excellence Institute

The Central Michigan University Rural Health Excellence Institute focuses on the health priorities of our rural communities. The RHEI seeks to improve health care access, expand telehealth capacity, and deliver the education and training necessary to respond to regional needs. We provide an innovation and collaboration hub where health care providers and community leaders can come together and forge solutions that improve health and wellness in our rural communities.

Learn more about how RHEI supports rural health across Central Michigan. Explore how community priorities shape our work in training, research and collaboration.

A collage with the Central Michigan University College of Medicine’s Rural Health Excellence Institute logo and core values that read improve care resources, community partnership outreach, advance rural health innovation, and education and training.

Core pillars

Bridging innovation and impact to improve the health and well-being of rural communities.

Improving care access and overall health outcomes by:

  • Removing obstacles that interfere with patients’ care and access to health services for rural and underserved populations.
  • Addressing health disparities (geriatric, mental health, chronic conditions) in our rural communities as well as social and structural drivers of health.

Community partnership outreach. Engaging communities by strengthening community action and building alliances with coalitions, organizations and service groups to promote well-being, quality of life, and improve the health status of residents.

  • AHEC network.
  • Academic partnerships.
  • FQHCs, rural hospitals, and clinics.
  • Rural health districts/network.
  • State and national partners.

Advancing rural health innovation and solutions by collaborating with partners to fill gaps in existing data and tools to:

  • Collect data elements in more interoperable ways.
  • Expand telehealth capacity and standardized data for sociodemographic elements.

    Education and training. Building capacity by linking partners for workforce development to:

    • Accelerate professional education for health service providers and workers.
    • Develop a resilient workforce and health careers pipeline for sustained care access in isolated communities.

    Mission

    The CMU Rural Health Excellence Institute will ally with rural communities to advance health and improve quality of life.

    Vision

    All people living in rural areas can live their healthiest life possible.

    We envision rural communities across Michigan and America as diverse communities of healthy people, places and providers, who access world-class care and human services. Healthy rural communities capitalize on a wealth of local strengths and assets, resourceful innovation, building alliances, rural values, and culture – local places where every person in the community has power, allies and agency to make decisions for improving their own health and for advancing the well-being of their community.

    Our team

    The staff of the Rural Health Excellence Institute are dedicated to improving health care access and health outcomes in medically underserved, rural communities.

    ALISON ARNOLD

    EXEC DIR/­RHEI

    College of Medicine

    ANDREA BEATTY

    PROGRAM MGR/­RHEI

    College of Medicine

    JOHN JERVINSKY

    MGR/­TELEHEALTH PROGRAM

    College of Medicine

    LAURA JOHNSON

    ADMIN COORD/­RHEI

    College of Medicine

    Projects and programs

    The RHEI is involved in several programs and initiatives that improve access to health care and increase positive health outcomes in our rural communities.

    Education and training

    The RHEI focuses on regionally relevant public health research and delivers education and training to address local needs.

    Rural health resources

    The RHEI works with federal, state and local organizations to position services to optimize engagement with rural communities and leverage resources to improve the health and well-being of rural residents.

    Podcasts, videos and PSAs

    Telehealth resources