The Two Georgias Initiative
Health equity for rural communities is a national concern. Due to geographic, economic, cultural and environmental factors, residents of rural communities often face a disproportionate disease burden. More than 60 million Americans live in rural communities.
From 2017-2023, the EPRC served as the initiative-level evaluator for Healthcare Georgia Foundation’s Two Georgias Initiative, a multiyear investment in rural Georgia community coalitions that worked to achieve health equity through the elimination of health disparities in Georgia’s rural communities.
The 11 grant recipients received funding ($70,000-$100,000 per year) and technical assistance through community coaching, health equity guidance, finding and using available health data, state/local health policy issues, and program evaluation by the EPRC.
Click on the buttons below to learn more about the initiative and the cross-site evaluation.
Related Publications
Kegler MC, Hermstad A, Haardörfer R, Arriola KJ, Gauthreaux N, Tucker S, Nelson G. Evaluation Design for The Two Georgias Initiative: Assessing Progress Toward Health Equity in the Rural South. Health Educ Behav. 2023;50(2):268-280. doi: 10.1177/10901981211060330. Epub 2022 Mar 19.
Kegler MC, Gauthreaux N, Hermstad A, Arriola KJ, Mickens A, Ditzel K, et al. Inequities in Physical Activity Environments and Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Rural Communities. Prev Chronic Dis. 2022;19:210417. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd19.210417. 2016 Jan;106(1):143-52.
Kegler MC, Bigger L, Hermstad A, Eidson E, Thomas JG, Tucker SB, Haardörfer R. Differences in Health Care Access and Use by Gender, Race, Income, Age and Employment among Residents of the Rural South. J Healthcare Poor Underserved. 2023;34(1):1112-131. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2023.0008.
Antonacci CC, Haardörfer R, Hermstad AK, Mayo-Gamble TL, Jacob Arriola KR, Kegler MC. Exploring dimensions of social capital in relation to healthy eating behaviours in the US rural south. Public Health Nutr. 2023;1-12. doi: 10.1017/S1368980023000022. PMID: 36645262.
Antonacci CC, Hermstad AK, Haardörfer R, Kegler MC. Food Insecurity Moderates Association Between Perceived Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Access and Vegetable Intake in the Rural Southern US. European Society of Medicine. 2023;11(5). https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v11i5.3823.
Arriola KJ, Merken TM, Bigger L, Haardörfer R, Hermstad A, Owolabi S, Daniel J, Kegler M. Understanding the Relationship between Social Capital, Health, and Well-Being in a Southern Rural Population. J Rural Health. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12782. Online ahead of print.
For more information:
Click here to view and/or download the final 5-year cross-site evaluation report.
For questions about our data collection instruments or other inquiries, email us.