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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce supply and demand

New Rural Residency Program Addresses Physician Shortage
Profiles the rural healthcare residency program at Grand Itasca Clinic & Hospital in Minnesota. Discusses the collaboration with the University of Minnesota Medical School and Fairview Health and the importance of giving medical residents experience in rural primary care.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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The Doctor is … Out: Shortages of Health Professionals in Rural Areas
Reports on healthcare professional shortages in 16 rural New York counties, including rural and county-level data on primary care, dental health, mental health, and maternity care providers. Discusses rural barriers to healthcare access and highlights approaches to strengthen the rural health workforce in New York.
Author(s): Andrea Miller, Maria Doulis, Matthew Golden, Joshua Simons
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Office of the New York State Comptroller
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The U.S. Dentist Workforce: Based on the Latest Available Data from Multiple Sources as of August 2025
Explores who makes up the dentist workforce, how and where dentists work, how practicing dentists are faring economically, and the future of the dentist workforce. Features statistics including the dentist-to-population ratio and average revenue per dentist, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organizations: American Dental Association, Health Policy Institute
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Supply, Distribution, and Access to Cardiologists, Oncologists, and Pulmonologists in the Rural and Urban U.S.
Describes the changes in the supply and demand of four specialists - cardiologists, neurologists, oncologists, and pulmonologists - between 2012 and 2022. Compares data on the ratio of these specialists per 100,000 population across urban, large rural, and small/isolated rural areas. Explores the socioeconomic characteristics of rural counties with and without one of these specialists in 2022. Summarizes perspectives of rural health system leaders on how specialty care is accessed by and delivered to rural patients.
Author(s): Signe Burchim, David Evans, Nathan Maris, et al.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Health Symposium May 8-9, 2025: Advancing Rural Health Through Research, Policy, and Community Partnerships
Summarizes research presentations, panel discussions, and other proceedings of a May 2025 conference on rural health disparities hosted by the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and Dartmouth Health. Identifies factors contributing to rural health disparities and suggests actions to be taken by healthcare systems, community groups, policymakers, and researchers, among others.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Dartmouth Health, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
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The Current Landscape of Rural, Remote, and Frontier Mental Health in America
Fact sheet highlights a number factors in rural and frontier communities that affect mental health access. Discusses population-based considerations, barriers to access, and education and training.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Psychological Association
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Nebraska Biennial Report 2023 LPN & 2024 RN Survey Data
Provides information on the nursing workforce in Nebraska. Provides county-level data on amount of registered nurse (RNs) and and licensed practice nurse (LPNs) per 1,000 residents. Includes rural versus urban comparisons of nurse workforce distribution and specialty.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Nebraska Center for Nursing
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Access to OB-GYNs: Evaluating Workforce Supply and ACA Marketplace Networks
Examines the workforce supply of OB-GYNs employed in the United States and part of insurance marketplace networks. Provides interactive county-level data on number of practicing OB-GYNs per 100,000 women aged 15-64. Presents the share of counties with no OB-GYNs and the share of women living in them according to rural, small metro, or urban county classification.
Author(s): Michelle Long, Matthew Rae, Aubrey Winger, and Kaye Pestaina
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Wisconsin 2024 RN Survey Report
An overview of the registered nurse (RN) and advanced practice nurse (APN) workforce in Wisconsin, based on data from the February 2024 Wisconsin RN Workforce Survey. Features statistics including demographics, geographic distribution, educational preparation, and median income, with breakdowns by rural or urban location.
Author(s): Roberta Pawlak, Katie Gillespie, Jessica Leiberg, et al.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organizations: School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Center for Nursing
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Sustainability of the Growth of the Local Public Health Workforce During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2019–2022
Examines changes in the local health department (LHD) workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing 2019-2022 NACCHO National Profile of Local Health Departments data. Breaks down LHD workforce composition and size data by LHD jurisdiction size and rurality.
Author(s): Krishna Patel, Timothy C. McCall, Margaret Cunningham, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 115, 1271-1277
Date: 07/2025
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