Flash Funding

Postpartum care is critical to maternal health, yet nearly one-third of women—especially those in rural areas—do not receive adequate follow-up care due to provider shortages, transportation barriers, and hospital closures. This project seeks to address these disparities by developing a digital intervention toolkit to support postpartum recovery. The toolkit will include educational materials and a fine-tuned large language model (LLM) that offers personalized guidance tailored to the needs of postpartum patients. The research team is collaborating with Carilion Clinic to co-design and test the toolkit with both patients and providers. Activities include surveying prenatal patients to assess health literacy and expectations, conducting interviews with OB-GYN providers, and designing targeted educational materials. The team will also evaluate and fine-tune various LLMs to ensure the technology aligns with patient needs. This work reflects the Whole Health Consortium’s commitment to equity-driven, community-based research and builds on themes from the 2025 Rural Health Symposium. The project lays the groundwork for future interventions and external funding to expand access to postpartum care in underserved communities.

Access to healthcare remains a persistent challenge in rural communities, especially for older adults. Traditional solutions like expanding fixed-route public transit often fall short due to geographic and economic constraints. This project explores the potential of autonomous shuttle buses as a cost-effective and scalable solution to improve healthcare access in rural areas. Building on a pilot study conducted at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute with 24 older adults, Dr. Kim and his team aim to deepen understanding of community acceptance of autonomous vehicles and develop use-case research grounded in local needs. The project is rooted in the Whole Health approach, emphasizing community engagement and holistic well-being.

This project aims to develop a mobile health (mHealth) intervention to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV) among adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD). By leveraging technology to detect and address IPV and alcohol use in real-time, the project seeks to provide accessible and effective support, particularly for high-risk populations in rural areas with limited resources.

This project focuses on developing an integrated referral specialty clinic to meet the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ youth and families in rural areas. By bringing together a team of scholars, community leaders, and healthcare providers, the project aims to create a supportive environment offering affirmative mental health services, clinician training, and research opportunities. The clinic will address significant mental health challenges, including high rates of suicide, substance use, and victimization, by providing accessible and culturally competent care for LGBTQ+ youth in Southwest Virginia. The ultimate goal is to improve mental health outcomes and support for this underserved population.

This project aims to address the co-occurrence of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and chronic pain (CP), conditions that affect a significant portion of the population and result in substantial economic costs. By involving community members and clinicians, the project seeks to develop scalable and sustainable prevention and treatment strategies for combined AUD and CP. This initiative focuses on gathering patient preferences, engaging stakeholders through a Community Engagement Studio, and providing evidence-based information through a dedicated workshop.

This project seeks to understand the strengths and resilience of Latinx youth and families in Southwest Virginia to support their mental health and wellbeing. By studying cultural values, ethnic identity, supportive parenting, and family functioning, the research aims to develop positive programs that help Latinx youth thrive. The multidisciplinary team will collaborate with community partners to gather insights and promote inclusivity and community engagement.

This project aims to improve the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system by understanding its user base and optimizing the geographical accessibility of VA healthcare facilities. The project will identify veterans who do and do not use VA healthcare services and analyze the differences in their demographics and health status. It will also extend geospatial analysis to evaluate and enhance the accessibility of VA facilities in Virginia, ultimately improving care for veterans.