The Arkansas Lincoln Project: Design of a Novel Interventional Model to Address Cardiovascular Health Disparities in Rural, Underserved Communities of the Arkansas Delta

Abstract

Serious health-related disparities continue to disproportionately impact underserved, low-wealth, and minority communities driven by an entanglement of factors. Studies show cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence in rural areas is advancing with widespread consequences on the local economies, health care systems, and population. Previous efforts in healthcare and community-based systems to impact rural CVD and CVD-related outcomes have been mostly unsuccessful for various reasons. The Lincoln Project (TLP) in Arkansas was conceived in response to this serious unmet need and with historical shortcomings in mind. TLP adopts a novel community health worker-led neighborhood-based strategy, bridging the gap between social resources, health care services and the rural communities they serve with the goal of rebalancing CVD-based health equity in areas of Arkansas with the most severe health disparities.