Ann Freeman Cook, MPA,is the Principal Investigator and Director of the High Mountains High Plains Rural Bioethics Project, an initiative supported by the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation. She also serves as the Project Director and Principal Investigator of the National Rural Bioethics Project, a multi-institutional research initiative supported by the Greenwall Foundation. She is employed by The University of Montana Rural Institute. Correspondence: Rural Bioethics Project, SHS-007; The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, or e-mail:[email protected].
Helena Hoas, PhD,is the Research Director for the High Mountains High Plains Rural Bioethics Project. Her professional credentials combine extensive research experience in the social sciences and the humanities. Dr. Hoas is employed by The University of Montana Rural Institute.
Jane Clare Joyner, RN, JD,is employed as a General Attorney in the Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She has also worked as a staff nurse in hospital and clinic settings.
Authors' note:The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. government or any of its agencies.
Acknowledgment:We wish to express our appreciation to Miriam Cameron, PhD, MS, MA, RN,for editorial assistance and Katarina Guttmannova for her research assistance.