RTC:Rural is wrapping up the fall conference season, which began Oct. 20-23rd in Spokane, WA at the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) conference. Since then, RTC:Rural researchers have represented rural disability at five other conferences around the country. Below are some of our take-aways, and we also shared some photos on Facebook!
Montana Healthy Communities
Dr. Catherine Ipsen, Director of Employment Research; Dr. Meg Ann Traci, Montana Disability and Health Program (MTDH) Project Director; Dr. Rayna Sage, Research Associate; Lillie Greiman, Research Associate; and Andrew Myers, Research Associate, attended the Montana Healthy Communities conference, which was held November 1-2 in Helena, Montana. The conference brought together community development and health leaders from across the state to explore the future of community health improvement.
“A lot can be achieved working at the local level, particularly in rural communities,” said Lillie Greiman. “At the local level, rural communities understand the role of the environment in health, and engaging with others who live and work in rural helps us better understand both the similarities and uniqueness of rural communities across the country.”
American Public Health Association
Dr. Rayna Sage presenting her poster at APHA 2017
Dr. Meg Traci, MTDH Program Director, Helen Russette, MTDH Program Coordinator, and Dr. Rayna Sage, Research Associate, attended the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Expo, which was held November 4-8 in Atlanta, Georgia.
A variety of RTC:Rural research was presented at the conference including:
- The role of family and non-family support
- Promoting a whole community approach to emergency planning; outcomes of the Smart911 program
- Smoke and Vulnerable Populations: Toward a Conceptual Model
- Including people with disabilities in the development of a community-wide wayfinding system communication plan
- Setting a family-centered systems improvement agenda with families and youth with special health care needs: Applications of the concerns report method in a rural state
Also at the conference, Dr. Tom Seekins, RTC:Rural Co-Director, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award, which Dr. Traci accepted on his behalf.
