Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Health workforce supply and demand

Dec 3, 2024 - Highlights the work of 3 rural Michigan community mental health agencies. Discusses challenges related to workforce, stigma, transportation, substance use, and more as well as work to overcome those challenges through outreach and partnering with other community institutions.
Source: Flint Side
Nov 26, 2024 - Discusses a student-led peer support initiative to destigmatize mental health in a rural Nevada community. Highlights existing challenges in accessing mental healthcare due to workforce shortages as well as limited transportation.
Source: The Nevada Independent
Nov 19, 2024 - A Des Moines, Iowa area hospital is using a helicopter service to reach pregnant women in need of emergency specialized care. The program is offered statewide, particularly in areas with few or no obstetricians, in response to a shortage of maternity care in Iowa.
Source: KCRG
Nov 11, 2024 - Discusses the ongoing impact of Hurricane Helene for a rural North Carolina county that lost its only dental clinic for low-income patients in the storm. Discusses barriers to recruiting more dental workforce and efforts to maintain some services in a repurposed mobile van.
Source: North Carolina Health News
Nov 11, 2024 - Highlights challenges for rural Washington healthcare facilities in offering labor and delivery services. Discusses challenges with maintaining healthcare quality, maternal care deserts, financial challenges and sustainability, and the impact of labor and delivery services on community vitality.
Source: Washington State Standard
Nov 7, 2024 - Highlights the University of Nebraska Medical Center's College of Dentistry's efforts to increase the rural dental workforce. Discusses both tuition incentives and learning experiences connecting students with rural patients.
Source: University of Nebraska Medical Center Newsroom
Nov 7, 2024 - Discusses a new training program to address mental health workforce shortages in Vermont. The program will place mental health workers in rural schools and offer incentives for students that continue working at their placement beyond graduation.
Source: Vermont Public
Nov 6, 2024 - Discusses access to Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare challenges for rural veterans, noting broadband access, workforce shortages, transportation issues, and caregiving load as contributing to the challenges.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Nov 4, 2024 - Provides overview of findings from the 2024 Idaho Nursing Workforce Report issued by the Idaho Center for Nursing. Notes that retirements are outpacing the number of new nurses entering the workforce. Highlights the success of Idaho's new rural nurse loan repayment program and explores recommendations for further improvements to meet nursing workforce demand.
Source: Idaho Capital Sun
Nov 4, 2024 - Discusses disparities in access to mental healthcare in rural California. Discusses workforce shortages, technology facilitators and barriers to access, and affordability.
Source: California Health Report