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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health aides and assistants

Distribution of Direct Care Workforce COVID-19 Funding Between Rural and Urban Counties in Minnesota and Illinois
Brief highlights the differences in the distribution of CARES Act direct care workforce funding between rural and urban counties in Minnesota and Illinois. Discusses the differences in distribution between the two states and the consequences for rural COVID-19 outcomes.
Author(s): Katie Rydberg, Janette Dill, Carrie Henning-Smith
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Virginia's Occupational Therapy Assistant Workforce: 2022
An overview of the occupational therapy assistant (OTA) workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2022 Occupational Therapy Assistant Workforce Survey. Features statistics including the number of OTAs in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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Virginia's Physical Therapist Assistant Workforce: 2022
An overview of the physical therapist assistant (PTA) workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2022 Physical Therapist Assistant Workforce Survey. Features statistics including the number of PTAs in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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Strengthening the Direct Service Workforce in Rural Areas
Summarizes the challenges of the direct service workforce in rural areas including strategies that rural stakeholders can use to provide high-quality, long-term care services and supports. Discusses the challenges of recruiting and retaining direct-care workers in rural areas.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Supporting and Sustaining the Current and Future Workforce to Care for People with Serious Illness: Proceedings of a Workshop (2023)
Summarizes discussions from an April 2023 public workshop exploring strategies and approaches to address major workforce challenges, including health professional well-being, workforce shortages, workforce training and retention, and advancing the diversity, equity, and inclusion of the workforce. Includes a section on well-being of the clinical workforce in rural areas.
Author(s): Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Who Will Care for Rural Older Adults? Measuring the Direct Care Workforce in Rural Areas
Policy brief examining existing disparities in the supply of home health aides and nursing assistants in rural areas compared to urban areas. Features statistics on the ratio of home health aides and nursing assistants relative to the population of adults age 65 and above, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas and by census region.
Author(s): Janette Dill, Carrie Henning-Smith, Rongxuan Zhu, Elizabeth Vomacka
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage
Recording of February 10, 2022 testimony before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, offering recommendations for strategies to alleviate anticipated shortages in the healthcare workforce, including in rural areas. Features testimonies by representatives of the National Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Training Consortium, Xavier University of Louisiana, the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement, and the Heritage Foundation.
Additional links: C. Reynold Verret Testimony, Margaret Flinter Testimony, Norma Quinones Testimony, Rachel Greszler Testimony
Date: 02/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Arizona Health Workforce Profile: Direct Care Workers (DCWs)
Brief examining the direct care workforce in Arizona, including a breakdown of home health and personal aides, Nursing Assistants, and Licensed Practical Nurses by small, medium, and large counties. Uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Handbook and the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.
Author(s): B. Koch, S. Coates, C. Drake, D. Derksen
Date: 2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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Strengthening the Entry-Level Health Care Workforce: Finding a Path
Examines gaps in the existing healthcare workforce, challenges facing entry-level healthcare workers (EHCW), current EHCW training programs and contexts where training programs are used effectively, and strategies and policy opportunities to strengthen the EHCW. Includes rural references throughout and case studies for programs in rural Alaska and Washington. Provides an interactive inventory of existing policies and programs that support EHCW training, recruitment, and retention.
Additional links: Entry-Level Health Care Workforce: Information and Programs Visualization Tool
Author(s): Shira H. Fischer, Ryan K. McBain, Laura J. Faherty, et al.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RAND Corporation
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Use of Apprenticeship to Meet Demand for Medical Assistants in the U.S.
Reports findings from a study of registered medical assistant (MA) apprenticeship programs in 12 states. Discusses the workforce needs these programs may help address, including workforce needs in rural communities. Describes the programs and discusses challenges with starting and maintaining MA apprenticeship programs.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Andrew D. Jopson, Susan M. Skillman, Bianca K. Frogner
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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