Survey on Rural Community Wealth and Health Care Provision - health provider nonrespondents in pilot study

ANNEX H

ADVANCE LETTER TO RESPONDENTS WITH DISCLOSURES AND PROJECT BROCHURE

Advance letter to respondents with disclosures and project brochure

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY/STATE/ZIP

Dear [NAME],

Rural communities face many challenges in today’s world. Some are natural disasters that can unexpectedly cause great upheaval, and others are more gradual changes in our economy or society that can be particularly difficult to address in rural areas. One of these ongoing challenges in rural communities is the provision of affordable and quality health care within an increasingly complex industry during uncertain economic times.

The Community Assets/Community Health (CA/CH) project is a new research effort designed to address this issue in an innovative way. Researchers at Iowa State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service have chosen 150 rural communities in 9 states to help identify at a grassroots level how the unique assets of individual communities can contribute to strengthening local health care; and how, in turn, a strong local health care industry can help communities to thrive.

[TOWN, STATE] is one of the communities chosen to participate in this groundbreaking research. During the next several weeks we will be talking with a variety of health care providers and community leaders in your area. We understand that you are a [RESPONDENT TYPE], and we would like to interview you over the telephone for about [IF PROVIDER, 20 to 25 minutes. IF STAKEHOLDER, 15 to 20 minutes]. The interview can be scheduled for a day and time that is as convenient for you as possible. Your participation is voluntary. However, your input is very important to get an accurate understanding of the role that the health care industry plays in your community. Any information you provide will be used only for statistical research purposes. Your responses will be kept completely confidential and the data that is reported will be summarized by groups of communities to protect the identity of respondents.

Please read the enclosed brochure to learn more about CA/CH and its purposes. The back of this letter also includes information about the researchers, project details, assurance of confidentiality and protection of research subjects. If you have questions or concerns, please call Iowa State University project staff, toll-free, at 877-578-8848. Tell the person who answers that you are calling about the CA/CH project.

Thank you for your cooperation and assistance. We look forward to talking with you soon.

Sincerely,

Janice Larson

Iowa State University

Survey & Behavioral Research Services

2321 N Loop Drive, Suite 120

Ames, IA 50010