The authors address two issues related to cancer care: (1) the rural population is more vulnerable to cancer than the general population and (2) proper care is often not available locally, and public policy efforts have hurt, more than helped, this situation. The authors examine the environment of rural health care to establish a better understanding of this complex situation and present a model for improving health care delivery based on an existing outreach alliance program and guided by interorganizational service delivery concepts. They also provide areas for further research that can guide public policy toward improving rural cancer delivery.
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