Posted 11/4/2008

Center director Dr. Jan Probst says funding
very gratifying in light of bad economy

The S.C. Rural Health Research Center at the University of South Carolina has received $2.6 million for research on rural healthcare needs, particularly among minorities.

Located at the Arnold School of Public Health, the center was established with a $2 million grant in 2000 and received an additional grant of $2 million in 2004.

The grant, which continues through September 2012, is one of only six nationally from the Office of Rural Health Policy at the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.

Dr. Jan Probst, the center’s director, said the funding is particularly gratifying in light of the difficult economy.

“This competitive award comes at a time when federal grant requests are being carefully scrutinized,” she said. “Over the past eight years, our center has worked to build a strong research program on inequities in healthcare among people living in rural America. This funding will enable us to continue research on the healthcare needs that so many of our nation’s citizens face.”

The center has produced a number of significant studies, including obesity among rural children, domestic violence, minorities in rural America, and how rural hospitals are meeting the needs of Spanish-speaking patients.

Other centers are located at the University of Southern Maine, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, West Virginia University and the University of Washington. The Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center is a partnership of the universities of Minnesota and North Dakota.

Visit http://rhr.sph.sc.edu/index.php to learn more about the S.C. Rural Health Research Center at the Arnold School.