Demonstrating the way in which the National Diffusion Network (a system set up to disseminate exemplary educational practices) operates, this article describes application of an Illinois-developed early childhood program to the needs of a rurally isolated county in North Carolina. (JC)

The article describes the county's efforts to promote flouridation and improve the general dental health of its citizens, especially those in the rural areas. It describes the development, philosophy, and growing popularity of Project SMILE, a preventive dental program largely funded by Appalachian Regional Commission grants. (SB)

Describes a two-year nursing program at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (Pennsylvania) that was developed 15 years ago to address the critical shortage of trained nurses in rural northern Pennsylvania. To date, the program has graduated 269 students, of which approximately 75% have taken jobs within the region. (LP)

Student health professionals, working as assistants to communities with serious health care problems, helped develop the Shuqualak health center in an area with the highest infant mortality rate in the United States. Describes the Community Technical Assistance Program and the history of the Shuqualak project. (SB)