Rural Health
Eighteen percent of America's population live in rural areas comprising 84% of the nation’s lands. Rural residents have higher poverty rates, include a larger percentage of elderly, tend to be in poorer health, have fewer doctors, hospitals, and other health resources, and face greater difficulties getting to health services than their urban brethren.
By comparison, 54% of Mississippi’s population is rural. More than half of our doctors practice in four urban areas and all or part of our 82 counties are considered to be medically underserved. The rural nature of our state contributes to an uneven distribution of health care resources and impacts the level of health of our residents.
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News
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service is promoting a free water sampling campaign in seven Mississippi Delta counties.
Water samples will be analyzed for coliform bacteria and metals. Any Mississippi resident with a private well is eligible to participate. Test kits and detailed sampling instructions will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Participants can pick up sampling bottles April 26 to May 10 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the following MSU Extension county offices:
While National Rural Health Day is celebrated Nov. 18, the Mississippi State University Extension Service works daily to build and maintain this personal and community-level commodity.
Citizens in northern Sunflower County can use a new ride-sharing service to maintain an independent and healthy lifestyle. The service, called Healthy Destination Access, kicked off June 15 with ribbon cuttings in Rome and Drew.
To some people, farming is an idyllic way of life, but producers face some unique stressors that can impact their well-being. In fact, a national poll by the American Farm Bureau Federation in 2019 confirmed that about two in five farmers and farm workers reported experiencing increased stress levels and more mental health challenges since 2014.
MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University Extension Service specialist has been elected to the National Board of Public Health Examiners board of directors.
Success Stories
Extension destigmatizes mental health issues, one conversation at a time
When Colby Hardin first started working at the Arkansas Department of Corrections dairy farm, he prepared as if going to war.
Rural Medical & Science Scholars program provides insight, courage for careers
Zoe Fokakis is on her way to realizing her dream of becoming a physician scientist. That dream was partly fueled by her participation in the Rural Medical & Science Scholars program.
Extension food pantry serves rural community
On Tuesdays and Thursdays before lunch, Robert Jamison is usually exercising with people who have been his neighbors in Lambert for 30 years. The Quitman County Veterans Service Officer also volunteers for a food pantry there that serves about 800 local families every other month. The county does not have a grocery store, but the pantry, since it opened in 2014, has helped people in need.
Extension medical program offers career insights
He delayed his journey to become a doctor, but Johnny Lippincott has been intrigued by the field since childhood.
When she started school in a New York kindergarten classroom and participated in her first “dress-up day,” Bridgette “Brie” Cerda-Marin chose the doctor costume.
And, in her own words: “I’ve wanted to be a doctor ever since.”
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