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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce supply and demand

Understanding the U.S. Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage
Discusses the shortage of behavioral health professionals across the country and highlights some of the contributing factors. Breaks down factors affecting licensed providers, clinical supporters, community care workers, and frontline workers. Makes recommendations for policymakers and includes considerations for rural areas.
Author(s): Nathaniel Counts
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Improving Health Care Access in Rural Communities: Obstacles and Opportunities
Presents the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Health Care hearing on improving access to high-quality, affordable healthcare in rural communities. Discusses workforce issues, education pipeline, transportation, broadband, school-based health centers, payment models and value-based care, and rural-friendly policies. Features testimonies from representatives of Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital, Choptank Community Health System, Essentia Health, and the Sheps Center For Health Services Research.
Additional links: Testimony by David Herman, Testimony by Erin Aune, Testimony by Mark Holmes, Testimony by Sara Rich
Date: 05/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Health Care
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Pandemic Era Telehealth Innovations in the Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment Fields: Practice-Informed Findings and Recommendations
Report highlights some takeaways from the expansion of telebehavioral health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses the ways behavioral health providers adapted telehealth to their practices and the effect that had on access, outcomes, and care utilization, among other factors. Details the effect telebehavioral health had on expanding access to rural areas.
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Council for Mental Wellbeing
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Health Care Capsule: Accessing Health Care in Rural America
Discusses challenges rural communities face related to healthcare access, such as limited healthcare providers, travel distance and transportation issues, insurance coverage, and access to broadband. Provides policy recommendations from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to address rural healthcare disparities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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How Regional Partnerships Bolster Rural Hospitals
Explores how Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and other rural providers partner to overcome challenges. Profiles six regional partnerships that address staffing, quality improvement, contracts with payers, value-based payment, and community development. Offers lessons learned that could inform policy changes to strengthen rural providers.
Author(s): Martha Hostetter, Sarah Klein
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Service-Obligated Providers in New York State
Research brief profiling the health professionals fulfilling service obligations in New York State through federal or state provider incentive programs as of March 2022. Discusses Health Professional Shortage Area placements and J-1 visa waivers. Features statistics including the number and per capita rate of service-obligated providers by region of practice and a list of New York State counties with breakdowns by urban or rural status.
Additional links: Overview: Service-Obligated Providers in New York State
Author(s): Robert Martiniano, Alexandra Romero, Jean Moore
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Retaining A Rural Nursing Workforce: It Takes A Village
A podcast that discusses attracting and retaining nurses in rural areas. Focuses on the University of Vermont Health Network and how they addressed the nursing shortage, such as focusing on staff well-being, creating a positive work environment, and investing in higher pay for nurses.
Date: 05/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Access to Maternity Providers: Midwives and Birth Centers
Provides an overview of the role of certified nurse-midwives and birth centers in Medicaid and how beneficiaries use these services. Describes policy issues and barriers to expanding access to midwives and birth centers, including payment policies; contracting with managed care organizations; licensure, certification, and accreditation; scope of practice; and limited supply. Includes rural considerations throughout.
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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2022 Alaska Community Needs Assessment
Results of a February 2023 survey to gather household-level data on individualized, local needs in the areas of education, employment, workforce development, food security, and access to healthcare resources. Features demographics and statistics on disabilities, poverty, education level, rural housing, healthcare access, deaths of despair, substance use, and supply and demand of dental, mental health, and primary care providers.
Author(s): Daniel O'Brien
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc.
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Implications of COVID-19 on Safety-net Oral Health Services
Examines COVID-19 pandemic impacts on Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other safety-net dental providers. Describes the challenges safety-net providers face in delivering care to underserved and rural communities, and examines impacts on safety-net providers offering oral health services through mobile programs. Features statistics on FQHCs offering oral health services, with breakdowns by region.
Author(s): Margaret Langelier, Simona Surdu, Theekshana Fernando, Sai Sindhura Gundavarapu, Alex Romero
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Oral Health Workforce Research Center
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