Auburn University Rural Health Initiative: Partnering with communities to increase access to high quality and affordable health and wellness care throughout rural Alabama.
Auburn University’s Rural Health Initiative employs a community-based approach to serve local healthcare needs through the innovative technology of the OnMed® Telehealth Station coupled with hands-on wellness care provided by University faculty and students.
Background
University Outreach is committed to address significant health disparities across rural Alabama in partnership with Pharmacy, Nursing, Human Sciences, and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and with full engagement of the communities involved. Based on the strength of the leadership and the significance of community needs, this team elected to launch this initiative in our neighboring community, LaFayette, Alabama.
The Auburn University team members have worked closely with leaders from the City of LaFayette, Alabama and the Chambers County Commission to develop and launch this project. This collaboration resulted in identifying and renovating a vacated health clinic as the ideal location for the Chambers County Community Health and Wellness Center.
The accessible and innovative healthcare option identified for Chambers County combines the state-of-the art OnMed® telehealth station with hands-on wellness care provided through university faculty and students in health-related fields. The telehealth station provides users with an affordable, private, and efficient experience by facilitating a real-time patient encounter with an Alabama licensed clinician in a virtual setting through the use of diagnostic tools available for practitioner-guided self-use.
This Center engages university students and faculty from diverse disciplines with community members to support their overall well-being. Nursing students will be available to support diabetes management and asthma education. Pharmacy students will provide medication management education. Speech, language, and hearing students will support communication needs. Ongoing COVID-19 vaccinations and testing will be provided during all hours of operation. Examples of other disciplines committed to engagement are kinesiology, social work, nutrition science, human development and family science, and counseling. Other disciplines will be engaged as needs emerge.
In the News
- Auburn brings affordable hearing and speech aid to county
- Just two doctors serve this small Alabama town. What's next when they want to retire?
- Health and Wellness Center Hosts Stroke Education
- LaFayette Fire Chief Recognized by Mayor and City
- ‘It's basically telehealth on steroids’: Auburn University opens virtual health care station in LaFayette
- Alabama Extension, Auburn University Outreach partner with OnMed to bring health care solutions to Chambers County
- Auburn University partnering with Chambers Co. to increase affordable health care
- LaFayette OnMed station to Open in March
- City of LaFayette accepts bid for Community Health Center
- LaFayette to request bids for OnMed facility
- Rural Health Project bringing telehealth to LaFayette
- $400,000 CDGB grant awarded for OnMed project
Timeline
Discussions and regional convenings to focus upon solutions to address rural health disparities with campus and community-based partners began in October 2020. The team formalized their commitment to launch the rural health project in Chambers County through a Memorandum of Understanding in August of 2021. Other key junctures in the project are noted by interacting with the timeline below.
October 2020
Introductory meetings and program proposal discussions.
October 2020 - Present
Conceptualizing and planning meetings with AU faculty.
November 2020
Site visits.
December 2020 - June 2021
Budgeting, Securing Funding
July 2021 - January 2024
Continued Community Engagement
August 2021 - December 2021
Secure MOU, Licensing Agreement, ADECA Grant
March 2022 - January 2023
Outreach Activities
November 2022 - January 2023
Site Preparation
February 2023
Soft Launch of Center, Demonstrations Begin
February 2023 - April 2023
Health and Wellness Programming, OnMed Demonstrations
April 2023
Grand Opening Event
August 2023
Secured funding to install 4 care stations in the Black Belt
September 2023
Secured funding to install telehealth equiptment in 10 locations across East Alabama to provide primary care, Substance Use Disorder treatment and Mental Health treatment
Rural Health Fellows
The Rural Health Fellows program goal is to educate and develop a network of diverse rural health leaders to serve in key positions in the healthcare arena with health equity as a focus. Fellow participants are enrolled undergraduate or graduate students in health or health-related disciplines with an interest in rural health. Learn more!
Leadership
As a community based-and collaboratively led initiative, Auburn University campus and community partners work to ensure that community health and wellness remain at the forefront. For this reason, each partner plays a key role in all planning and decision-making. Auburn University is honored to spearhead the rural health project in Chambers County and work alongside stellar community leaders in Chambers County and the City of LaFayette as equal partners. Key project leaders are listed and updated regularly as the project evolves.
- Auburn University
- Project Leadership
- Royrickers Cook, Vice President for University Outreach and Associate Provost
- Paul Brown, Associate Director, Alabama Cooperative Extension System
- Hollie Cost, Assistant Vice President for University Outreach and Public Service
- Linda Gibson-Young, Professor of Nursing and Nursing Outreach Coordinator
- Jennifer Kerpelman, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Graduate Studies and Outreach, College of Human Sciences
- Tim Moore, Interim Dean for the Harrison College of Pharmacy
- Rachel Snoddy, Chambers County Extension Coordinator
- Chippewa Thomas, Director, Faculty Outreach and Engagement
- Laura Downey, Assistant Director, Alabama Cooperative Extension System
- Kimberly Braxton Lloyd, Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Outreach, Harrison College of Pharmacy
- Chambers County
- Sam Bradford, Chambers County Commissioner
- Chris Busby, Deputy Director, Chambers County Economic Development
- Debra Riley, Chambers County Commissioner
- City of LaFayette
- Louis Davidson, City Clerk
- Jim Doody, Fire Chief
- Kenneth Vines, Mayor
Funders
In the true spirit of collaboration, the Chambers County Community Health and Wellness center is supported through grants and monetary contributions by The Alabama Cooperative Extension System, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), the Alfa Corporation, Auburn University, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Chambers County Commission, and The City of LaFayette.
Location
The Chambers County Community Health and Wellness Center is located at 404 9th Avenue, LaFayette, AL, 36862, conveniently within walking distance of the Department of Human Resources as well as grocery, dining and other establishments. Housed in a vacated medical clinic, the building provides space for expansion as well as full accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
We are currently open
- Monday –Friday, 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Saturday & Sunday, 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Center phone number: (334) 459-0188
Services
In addition to medical diagnostic and treatment provided through OnMed, Auburn University faculty and student will provide health and wellness screenings an education in these areas and others as they emerge:
- Diagnostic evaluations conducted through telehealth services
- Speech, language and hearing evaluations and treatment
- Medication management strategies
- Asthma self-care
- Diabetes management
- Health and nutrition programming
- Vaccinations and testing for COVID and other infectious diseases
- Pop-up clinics providing health and wellness education at locations throughout the community
FAQs
Auburn University Outreach began exploring options to expand healthcare access, particularly in rural regions adversely impacted by COVID-19. By partnering with university leaders in Pharmacy, Nursing, Human Sciences and Alabama Cooperative Extension System the team vetted telehealth and service delivery options. The collaborative team developed a model that integrated telehealth, outreach, public/private partnerships with a patient-centric focus.
The Rural Health Initiative partners with communities to increase access to high quality and affordable health and wellness care throughout rural Alabama. In addition, it offers a growing network of educational programming addressing physical, mental, and relational health needs.
The Center is the physical location in LaFayette where the services developed by the Rural Health Initiative team are delivered and where the telehealth station is located. Project leadership aim to develop similar programming throughout rural Alabama.
We are currently open Weekdays 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. and weekends from 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. based on community input.
The OnMed® telehealth station features the most advanced technology available in telehealth. This standalone unit enables patients to have a life-size, private, real-time virtual experience with a licensed medical professional using self-guided diagnostic tools. Upon exit, patients receive prescriptions for any necessary medication, or the unit dispenses the medication instantly.
The project is supported through in-kind and financial contributions by all key partners as well as corporate grants. Partners and funders include the City of LaFayette, Auburn University, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Chambers County, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, Alfa Corporation and Blue Cross Blue Shield.
There are no costs associated with attending events or participating in health and wellness education at the Center. For an initial time period, telehealth station visits are free of charge. After the introductory period, there will be a minimal cost for a telehealth station visit.
Contact
For more information, email AURuralhealthproject@auburn.edu or call the center at (334) 459-0188.
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Last Updated: November 15, 2023