All of Us Research Program Heartland Consortium (AoURP-HC)

Residents of rural communities and the Midwest region of the United States experience disproportionately high rates of chronic disease, defined by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention as conditions that persist for a year or more, require ongoing medical care, and often limit daily functioning. Rural populations face numerous challenges that negatively impact health outcomes and contribute to chronic disease, including limited access to healthcare, environmental and occupational hazards, and population characteristics such as lower socioeconomic status, lower education levels, and an aging demographic. Chronic diseases are the leading cause of illness, disability, and death in the U.S., with five of the top ten causes of death linked to preventable and treatable chronic conditions. Chronic disease is also a leading driver in annual health care costs. The cost of chronic disease is estimated to be over one trillion dollars annually to the American medical system. This proposal aims to expand participation of rural and Midwestern populations, including pediatric populations, in the largest precision medicine initiative in history by incorporating the All of Us Research Program Heartland Consortium (AoURP-HC) as a Healthcare Provider Organization (HPO) into the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) All of Us Research Program (AoURP). The AoURP-HC is a partnership of academic medical centers, hospitals, and community organizations in the central United States that will work together to enroll Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa residents into the AoURP. By increasing representation of rural and Midwestern populations through program enrollment, the AoURP-HC will help advance the long-term goals of the AoURP: delivering more personalized, effective care and developing innovative strategies for improving health outcomes and disease prevention that benefit all individuals—regardless of geography or background.