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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Financial aid for health career education

Strategies to Reduce Barriers for Underserved Students in Health Professions Programs: Addressing Rural and Urban Health Professional Shortages by Building a Diverse Healthcare Workforce
Evaluates barriers to the education, recruitment, and placement of rural and underserved health professions students in Arizona, utilizing interview data from 15 educators and program managers with relevant experience. Identifies opportunities for improvement, including discussion of pathway programs, financial aid, admission practices, community supports, public policy, and more.
Author(s): J Ringhand, A Oteng-Quarshie, J Peters, A Garn, B Koch, D Derksen
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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Nebraska Rural Health Advisory Commission's Annual Report, 2023
Provides information on the history of the Nebraska Rural Health Advisory Commission and includes an analysis of rural financial incentive programs for healthcare providers. Features county-level maps showing financial impact of Nebraska loan repayment program participants working in primary care, and currently obligated and all-time loan repayment and student loan program healthcare providers, with breakdowns by county and profession.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Nebraska Rural Health Advisory Commission
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2023 West Virginia Health Sciences and Rural Health Report
Review of medical school enrollment, licensing rates, student debt ratios, residency training, and retention rates in West Virginia, with special focus on the Rural Health Initiative Program. Includes dental and pharmacy program profiles, and describes the Medical Student Loan Program and the Health Sciences Service Program, providing financial awards to health professionals who agree to practice in underserved areas of West Virginia.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
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Virginia Oral Health Workforce Gap Assessment
Report describing challenges in ensuring that all Virginians have equitable access oral healthcare, and offering an actionable framework for addressing them. Features statistics on the Virginia oral healthcare workforce, including numbers of dentists and dental hygienists, numbers of dentists treating Medicaid patients by year from 2012-2022, and a map showing dental Health Professional Shortage Areas. Includes information about the Virginia state loan repayment program for eligible providers.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Health Catalyst
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Texas Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan: Progress Report
Report summarizing progress of the Texas Fiscal Years 2022-2026 Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan. Discusses mental health workforce shortages, recruitment and retention of workforce, telehealth, loan repayment, community health workers, and incentivizing rural practice. Discusses rural throughout. Includes priority next steps and outlines strategies by various Texas state agencies.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Texas Statewide Health Coordinating Council
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National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps (NACNHSC) Meeting Minutes, November 14-15, 2023
Minutes from the November 14-15, 2023 meeting, including presentations on funding, NHSC communications, and procedure for becoming a HRSA grant reviewer, reports from Bureau of Health Workforce council meetings, and National Health Service Corps updates.
Additional links: Agenda, Bureau of Health Workforce Updates, NHSC Communications
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps
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Identifying Strategies for Strengthening the Health Care Workforce in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Provides an overview of recent trends in the shortage of the nursing, primary care, and behavioral healthcare workforce in Virginia. Summarizes findings from an environmental scan and qualitative and quantitative data analysis regarding recruitment and retention strategies. Identifies interventions that could help the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (VHWDA) successfully address workforce shortages and which interventions should be prioritized based on desired policy outcomes. Presents a system dynamic model simulating the medium- to long-term supply and employment trends within Virginia's healthcare workforce under status quo conditions and under various policy interventions. Includes information on recruitment and retention in rural areas throughout.
Additional links: Annex, Research Brief: Recommendations for Strengthening the Health Care Workforce in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Author(s): Megan Andrew, Brian Briscombe, Raffaele Vardavas, et al.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Improving Access to Primary Care for Underserved Populations: A Review of Findings from Five Case Studies and Recommendations
Summarizes and synthesizes the findings from a series of five case studies that explored the impact of policy initiatives that aim to improve access to primary care. Covers increasing the availability of primary care providers, improving underserved communities' access to outpatient clinics, removing structural barriers to care, making primary care affordable, and improving comfort and communication between providers and patients. Presents recommendations for federal and state policymakers, primary care practices, medical schools, and other relevant stakeholders. Includes rural examples and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Maanasa Kona, Jalisa Clark, Emma Walsh-Alker
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Center on Health Insurance Reforms, Milbank Memorial Fund, National Institute for Health Care Reform
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Oklahoma Office of Primary Care & Rural Health Development Overview
Webinar highlighting the work of the Oklahoma Office of Primary Care & Rural Health Development. Discusses health professional shortage areas, the National Health Service Core Loan Repayment Program, the OK Health Corps, J-1 Visa Waivers, and the Conrad 30 Waiver. Transcript available in the video description.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Oklahoma State University Center for Rural Health
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How Academic Medicine Serves Rural Communities Across the Country
Highlights how Association of American Medical Colleges teaching hospitals and medical schools are serving patients in rural communities. Features the work of 6 institutions in North Dakota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, George, Texas, and California, and shares the challenges and successes unique to these communities.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
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