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 access to services, expand telehealth capacity and deliver the education and training necessary to respond to local 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.
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.
Core pillars
Bridging innovation and impact to improve the health and well-being of rural communities.
Improve care access
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.
Advance rural health innovation
Advancing rural health data 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.
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.
Partners
The Rural Health Excellence Institute partners and collaborates with University programs, community coalitions, local organizations, regional and statewide programs and other rural-focused initiatives.
- Children Trust Michigan.
- Everyday Life Consulting.
- Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance.
- Grow Benzie.
- Michigan Association of Health Plans Foundation.
- Michigan Center for Rural Health.
- Michigan Department of Education.
- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
- Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Michigan High-Speed Internet Office
- Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Office of Rural Prosperity.
- Michigan Health Improvement Alliance.
- Michigan Public Health Institute.
- Michigan Works!
- Mid Central Area Health Education Center.
- Northern Michigan Community Health Innovation Regions.
- Northern Michigan Public Health Alliance.
- Rural Health Group.
- Sterling Area Health Center.
- Suicide Resource & Response Network.
- Traverse Connect.
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.
- ACEs: Michigan Adverse Childhood Experiences.
- CMU SAMHSA GLS campus-wide suicide prevention grant.
- NEMT | Non-Emergency Medical Transportation for Vulnerable Aging Residents of Iosco County, Michigan.
- PACE D2A: Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences.
- Podcasts
- PRiSMM: Preventing Suicide in Michigan Men provider SP toolkit.
- SAMHSA Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention grant.
Education and training
The RHEI focuses on regionally relevant public health research and delivers education and training to address local needs.
- Bridging Divides for Better Health: Closing the Broadband Health Equity Gap flyer 2025.
- Trainer and program request form.
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.
- Aging in Place.
- Area Agencies on Aging Association of Michigan.
- Behavioral Health Equity | SAMHSA.
- Behavioral Health interns in northwest Michigan.
- Building Healthy Places Network.
- Central Michigan Health Department.
- CDC guidance on data and security.
- CDC social determinants of health.
- Community Health Innovation Regions of northern Michigan.
- Digital Health Navigators.
- Ford resource and engagement centers Michigan.
- Healthy People 2030.
- HOPE Health Outcomes of Positive Experiences.
- HRSA - Center for Maternal and Child Health Medicaid Partnerships.
- HRSA – Data Warehouse.
- Injury Prevention Center.
- Listening Ear.
- MDHHS Social Determinants of Health Strategy 2022-2024.
- MI Care Coordination Network - Promoting Care Coordination in Northwest Michigan.
- Michigan 2-1-1 Community Support.
- Michigan Center for Rural Health.
- Michigan Community Health Worker Association MiCHWA.
- Michigan Health Improvement Alliance.
- Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity.
- Midland Area Wellbeing Coalition.
- MiThrive - Strategy Guide and Community Assessment Data Reports.
- National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health.
- National Rural Health Association.
- National Rural Health Day.
- Northern Michigan Community Health Innovation Region.
- Pace Central.
- Pace Michigan.
- Pace North.
- Resource Rural.
- Rural Health Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Rural Health Information Hub.
- Rural Readiness Grant: Improving Medical Transportation Access.
- Rural Substance Use Disorder Resources.
- Surgeon General's 5-for-5 Connection Challenge.
- Women's Health Partnership Campaign.
Podcasts, videos and PSAs
Telehealth resources
- National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers.
- Northeast Telehealth Resource Center.
- Rural Health Equity Institute supports school-based telehealth services.
- School Community Health Alliance of Michigan.
- SCTRC Telehealth Etiquette Video Series.
- Telehealth.HHS.gov | Community health workers help patients use.
- Telehealth.HHS.gov | Expanding dental care to children through telehealth.
- Telehealth.HHS.gov | What happens after my telehealth visit?
- Upper Midwest Telehealth Resource Center.
