The Rural Resiliency Network (R2N)

R2N – The Rural Resiliency Network

The Rural Resiliency Network (R2N) was created to improve understanding of health information and access to healthcare throughout rural Central Wisconsin. R2N collaborates with public health organizations, resource agencies, and community organizations. Additionally, R2N representatives collect feedback and questions from community members to help understand and address their health concerns.

Contact R2N

Email: Julie Bunczak – jbunczak@uwsa.edu
Call: (715) 600-3224

Rural Americans face significant health disparities when compared to those in urban areas. This would include important factors such as increased risk of death from heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, unintentional injury, and strokes. Rural risk factors related to health disparities would also include geographic isolation, lower socioeconomic status, higher rates of health risk behaviors, limited access to healthcare specialists and subspecialists, and limited job opportunities. Rural residents are also less likely to have employer-provided health insurance coverage.

Throughout these rural communities, schools, local library systems, town and village government, and churches have been the traditional institutions where residents get information, but these institutions are struggling to survive or to be relevant outside of a specific range of purpose—particularly with the growth of broadband and access to unlimited information sources. And yet, there is still broadband and access disparity, creating unusual pockets of information deserts.

R2N uses a two-way communication model to help bridge this gap. This allows community health workers to share information with community members and allows community members to share concerns with community health workers. R2N representatives connect with community members through outreach and pop-up vaccine clinics at local events and community gatherings. 

Collaborating Partners

• Hmong American Center
• Medical College of Wisconsin-Central Wisconsin
• Marathon County Health Department
• Aspirus
• Marshfield Clinic Health System
• Family Health Center of Marshfield, Inc.
• Aging and Disability Resource Center of Central Wisconsin
• Wood County Health Department
• Portage County Health Department
• AMI
• LENA Start Marathon County
• Wausau Free Clinic
• United Way of Marathon County
• Bridge Community Clinic
• Abby Area Collaborative Team
• Wisconsin DHS
• Covering Wisconsin