Research Partners

The North Carolina Center for Rural Health Innovation and Performance

The mission of the NC Center for Rural Health is to assist rural health providers in addressing local and regional health needs and to lead and promote the development of innovative, collaborative, community focused health initiatives that improve the health status of North Carolina’s rural residents and communities. The Center has expertise in rural health management, critical access hospital development, community health planning, performance and quality improvement, patient safety, lean management and culture transformation, organizing community care networks, community based pharmaceutical care and rural health policy.

The North Carolina Office of Rural Health and Community Care (ORHCC)

The North Carolina Office of Rural Health and Community Care (ORHCC) helps communities build and maintain access to high quality, low cost medical care. Since it was created in 1973, ORHCC has opened 86 rural health centers across the state and has helped convert 23 hospitals to Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status. Currently, ORHCC supports 28 rural health centers with funding and technical support, medication assistance programs, provider placement services, care management coordination through HealthNet and Community Care of North Carolina (uninsured and Medicaid patients respectively), farmworker and migrant worker health programs and programmatic and technical support for rural hospitals and Emergency Medical Services (EMS). 

The Industrial Extension Service - North Carolina State University

The Industrial Extension Service (IES), the arm of North Carolina State University that supports North Carolina business in the workplace -  in the office, on the factory floor or in the hospital. The Industrial Extension Service, the first of its kind in the United States, was established in 1955 to help North Carolina industries grow and prosper. IES offers extensive products and services that can be combined in a unique package to get companies the desired results as quickly as possible. IES's toolbox includes lean enterprise and quality initiatives such as ISO management systems and Six Sigma, environmental, safety and health management.