Rural Health
News by Topic: Health occupations
Aug 1, 2026 - Rural emergency management service crews in Virginia have received training for delivering babies on roadsides. There have been recent increases in roadside deliveries following closure of rural labor and delivery departments in some hospitals.
Source: WSLS
Jul 31, 2026 - Describes a heart failure care program in rural West Virginia pharmacies. The program includes care coordination between local pharmacists and cardiovascular specialists to support consistent care and identify medication-related concerns early for rural patients.
Source: WVU Medicine
Jul 30, 2026 - Highlights the shortage of rural radiology technicians in South Dakota and plans to address the shortage through new technical college programs.
Source: South Dakota Searchlight
Jul 29, 2026 - Describes obstetrical and gynecological workforce shortages in Wyoming. Discusses the impact of the shortages on provider burnout, availability of routine maternal healthcare, recruiting and retention in rural and other communities, and clinic finances. Discusses the focus on maternity care in Wyoming's Rural Health Transformation Program plan.
Source: WyoFile
Jul 28, 2026 - Describes the shortage of physicians in rural communities and highlights medical schools across the country focused on training the rural workforce. Discusses the Health Professions Opportunity Grant (HPOG), a federal career pathway program aiming to bring more people into healthcare careers. Highlights challenges with bringing more physicians to rural communities including physician preferences and hospital closures.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Jul 23, 2026 - Two new advanced nursing programs in West Texas are opening this fall. The programs aim to address healthcare workforce shortages and make emergency healthcare more accessible for the rural Texas Panhandle.
Source: KVII
Jul 20, 2026 - Describes an outreach tour in rural and tribal Utah to engage with high school students to promote healthcare careers and expose current University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine students to rural and tribal communities and their health needs.
Source: University of Utah
Jul 20, 2026 - Announces a new free program for rural hospital administrators and other leaders in Texas to provide professional development and continuing education. The program was created through state legislation and is expected to launch in 2027.
Source: Crossroads Today
Jul 18, 2026 - Describes an emergency response training drill on a working farm in rural Wisconsin. Notes that the drill gives practice for rural specific conditions to healthcare students and first responders.
Source: WKBT
Jul 17, 2026 - Notice from the Health Services and Resources
Administration (HRSA) seeking comments on an information
collection request titled "National Practitioner Data Bank
for Adverse Information on Physicians and Other Health Care
Practitioners—45 CFR part 60 Regulations and Forms, OMB No.
0906-0081—Revision." The National Practitioner Data Bank
(NPDB) aims to improve the quality of healthcare by
encouraging hospitals, state licensing boards, professional
societies, and other eligible entities providing healthcare
services to identify and discipline those who engage in
unprofessional behavior, and to restrict the ability of
incompetent healthcare practitioners, providers, or
suppliers to move from state to state without disclosure or
discovery of previous damaging or incompetent performance.
Comments are due by September 15, 2026.
Source: Federal Register