CASE STUDY
Rural Communities
A roadmap for reaching rural Minnesotans.
CLIENT: Minnesota Department of Health
Overview
The COVID-19 pandemic showed the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) that public health messages weren't reaching rural communities. Channels were disappearing, trust was broken, and local staff were burned out. MDH decided to invest in fixing this. They hired two new staff members focused on rural communications and set aside money for a landscape assessment to understand the starting point.
MDH came directly to SDK. They wanted Stephanie Devitt's expertise on how the media landscape is changing and what that means for government communications.
Building the Right Playbook
Rural communications is a challenge governments cannot afford to fumble. MDH needed to understand why messages were no longer reaching communities and how to support two newly created rural communications positions.
Rather than relying on assumptions, SDK built the state's first comprehensive picture of rural public health communications capacity. The project combined SDK's Changing Media Environment framework with original research, including statewide surveys, interviews, and mapping of media ownership, staffing levels, and direct communications reach.
The result was more than a report. MDH received a set of benchmarks and planning tools that can be updated over time to measure progress and guide future investments.
Result: A data-driven roadmap for understanding and strengthening rural communications capacity across Minnesota.
Navigating Complexity
The project had to account for enormous variation across Minnesota's local public health system. Some departments had dedicated communications staff; others had none. Some communities still had local media outlets; others relied almost entirely on digital platforms and algorithm-driven information.
SDK brought together multiple sources of evidence, including a 100% participation survey covering all 80 Greater Minnesota counties, 21 in-depth interviews, media landscape analysis, and national research.
A key finding emerged: traditional earned media is no longer a reliable foundation for rural public health communications. Organizations with direct communication channels and dedicated communications capacity are significantly better positioned to reach their communities.
Result: MDH gained a clear, defensible picture of the communications challenges facing rural communities and local health departments.
Creating Audit- and Headline-Proof Outcomes
Every major recommendation was grounded in measurable data. The assessment documented communications staffing levels, media availability, audience reach, and community perceptions across rural Minnesota.
SDK identified four critical perception gaps involving public health's role, audience, topics, and institutional trust. The report also provided a practical framework for supporting local departments based on their capacity, including templates and tools for some organizations and coaching support for others.
Even when federal funding cuts disrupted implementation plans shortly after delivery, the findings remained a credible baseline that MDH and local partners could continue using.
Result: A trusted foundation for future decision-making, investment, and communications planning
Shaping Tomorrow
This project addressed a challenge facing governments across the country: the communications systems many public agencies rely on were built for a media environment that no longer exists.
The assessment offers a model for how agencies can evaluate communications capacity, understand the realities of today's media landscape, and build strategies that are grounded in how people actually receive information.
For SDK, the work reinforced a core lesson: when systems change faster than institutions, leaders need an accurate picture of reality before they can build effective solutions.
Result: A replicable approach for helping public agencies adapt to a changing information environment and rebuild connections with the communities they serve.