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Grid for The Reduction of Vulnerability

 The

 GROV

A space connecting researchers, officials, and community members who are concerned with public health services and policies relevant to health in US rural communities.

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About
ABOUT

The GROV

Oftentimes, the communities most affected by health crises (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid epidemic, outbreaks of measles) are rural ones, left in physical and social isolation. These impacted communities and other concerned parties have no centralized access to reliable information and often lack the necessary power to enact beneficial policies (e.g., implementing syringe exchange programs, expanding testing and prevention). In addition to the improvement of overextension in health workers, policymakers are required to identify needs and solutions to the crisis, and rural inhabitants need effective approaches to receive and share concise information and to counteract misconceptions. This grid pursues these goals and tests innovative methods of public health communication.

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The GROV is a network of researchers and state/local health departments united by the goal of investigating, communicating, and pursuing practical solutions for rural communities.

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Target Areas
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Team

Hover over images to view further information

RESEARCHERS

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Alexandra Heyman Nash Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor

University of Pennsylvania

Dolores Albarracin
Ph.D.

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Research Director, Annenberg Public Policy Center

University of Pennsylvania

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Marta Duratini
Ph.D.

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Department Chair and professor of Statistics

University of Illinois

Bo Li
Ph.D.

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Professor of Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry

West Virginia University

Judith Feinberg
Ph.D., M.D.

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Research Assistant Professor of Psychology

University of Pennsylvania

Man-pui Sally Chan
Ph.D.

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Research Associate 

University of Pennsylvania

Bita Fayad
Ph.D.

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Postdoctoral

Researcher

University of Pennsylvania

Annie Jung
Ph.D.

ADVISORS

Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering 

University of Illinois

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Bita Fayad

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Nikita Borisov

Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine

Harvard University

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Edward W.Boyer

Ph.D., M.D.

Professor of Psychology

University of Illinois

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Alex Morales

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Dov Cohen

Ph.D.

Professor of Epidemiology

Medical College of Wisconsin

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Julia Dickson-Gomez Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science

Medical College of Wisconsin

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Laura Glasman

Ph.D.

Dean, School of Public Health

University at Albany, SUNY

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Alex Morales

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David Holtgrave

Ph.D.

Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication

University of Pennsylvania

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Kathleen H. Jamieson Ph.D.

Professor of Health, Behavior & Society 

Johns Hopkins University

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Bita Fayad

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Carl Latkin

Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Psychology

University of Illinois

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Chadly Stern

Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Computer Science & Advertising

University of Illinois

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Alex Morales

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Hari Sundaram

Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Medicine

University of Wisconsin

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Ryan P. Westergaard Ph.D., M.D., M.P.H.

Professor of Computer Science

University of Illinois

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ChengXiang Zhai

Ph.D.

Team
Coordinators

Target
Areas: Opioid Epidemic, Vaccines, COVID-19

The Opioid Epidemic: In 2016, Van Handel et al. used a number of indicators to calculate an HIV/HCV vulnerability score for each US county to identify which were most vulnerable. On top of securing vulnerability scores for HIV/HCV, the scores also reveal many counties in the Midwest and Appalachia that are particularly vulnerable to the US opioid epidemic.

 

The GROV comprises state health agencies and county health departments from many of these vulnerable regions (see the left panel of below figure for vulnerable states/counties and the right panel for those partnered with the GROV) and as of July 2018, includes 42% of the most vulnerable counties in the Midwest and Appalachia while other health departments continue to join.  

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Our
Partners

Health Departments
  • Georgia Department of Public Health

  • Indiana State Department of Health

  • Illinois Department of Health*

  • Kansas Department of Health & Environment*

  • Kentucky Health Department*

  • Michigan Department of Health and Human Services*

  • Missouri Department of Health*

  • North Carolina Department of Health*

  • Ohio Department of Health*

  • Tennessee Department of Health*

  • Virginia Department of Health*

  • West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources 

*represented via specific county health departments

Partners
States, Counties, and Types of Agencies 
Stay in touch

Stay

In

Touch

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