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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce supply and demand

Behavioral Health Integration and Workforce Development
Examines the need for states to assess behavioral health integration (BHI) workforce needs, identify legal and policy barriers to practice, and effectively train and retain BHI practitioners, especially in underserved areas. Includes case studies of programs in Washington, Nebraska, and Michigan, and lists of resources.
Author(s): Rachel Block
Date: 05/2018
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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The Health Care Workforce: Addressing Shortages and Improving Care
Testimony in the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions on May 22, 2018. Examines the growing problem of healthcare shortages in rural areas and the response by the federal government. Also explores how well healthcare professionals are being trained and why they choose the geographical areas where they work. Focuses on shortages of physicians, nurses, and professionals specializing in care of older adults.
Additional links: Testimony by Elizabeth A. Phelan, Testimony by Julie Tanner Sanford, Testimony by Kristen H. Goodell
Author(s): Kristen Goodell, Julie Sanford, Elizabeth Phelan
Date: 05/2018
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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2017 Survey of Nurse Practitioners and Certified Nurse Midwives
Reports on a survey of nurse practitioners (NPs) and certified nurse midwives (CNM) with licenses in California. Includes rural/urban differences, such as distribution by age, sex, and race/ethnicity; earnings; practice location; and more.
Additional links: Infographic
Author(s): Joanne Spetz, Lisel Blash, Matthew Jura, Lela Chu
Date: 04/2018
Sponsoring organizations: California Board of Registered Nursing, Healthforce Center at UCSF
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Health Care in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands: A Six-Month Check-Up After the Storms (Report)
Overview of the status of recovery after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017, with emphasis on the condition of healthcare systems. Draws on interviews with key stakeholders and residents, and public reports.
Author(s): Samantha Artiga, Cornelia Hall, Robin Rudowitz
Date: 04/2018
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Physician Assistants: Modernize Laws to Improve Rural Access
National Rural Health Association policy paper describing benefits to rural communities when practice barriers are removed and payments are sufficient to attract physician assistants to the area. Includes recommendations to help achieve this goal.
Author(s): Roger Wells, Megan Cody, Robert Alpino, Melissa Van Dyne, Ross Abbott, et al.
Date: 04/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Indiana Primary Care Needs Assessment, 2018
Summary of efforts to identify gaps in access to health care and allocate resources to communities in greatest need, from 2015-2017. Includes trends in Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations in Indiana, the preliminary HPSA analysis summary, projected need of providers in Indiana counties, and health rankings within Indiana.
Author(s): Analise Dickinson, Sierra Vaughn, Hannah Maxey
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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Minnesota Oral Health Workforce: Trends & Pipeline Incentives
Provides information on the oral health workforce and access to oral healthcare in Minnesota. Discusses dental Health Profession Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and covers a dentist to population ratio by rurality. Describes oral health trends in Minnesota.
Author(s): Nitika Moibi, Deb Jahnke
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
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Employment in Rural Inpatient Healthcare Facilities Was Relatively More Concentrated in the Upper Midwest and Northern Great Plains
Map of rural counties showing the average number of inpatient healthcare facility jobs per 100 county residents in 2011-2015. Includes discussion of regional variations in dependence on rural hospital employment.
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Barriers and Best Practices for Using Telehealth Services in Nebraska
Explores the use of telehealth to receive mental health services in rural areas of Nebraska. Includes county-level maps of metropolitan and micropolitan areas, county-level maps of primary and satellite locations of psychiatrists, as well rural versus urban behavioral workforce supply per 100,000 citizens.
Additional links: Brief
Author(s): Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Ellana Haakenstad, Joe Evans, Howard Liu
Date: 02/2018
Sponsoring organization: Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center
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Current State of Child Health in Rural America: How Context Shapes Children's Health
Describes the health status of children in rural America. Highlights the components of the rural environment that may affect children's health and health outcomes, including economic characteristics, healthcare provider availability, behavior health risks, and usage of health services.
Author(s): Janice C. Probst, Judith C. Barker, Alexandra Enders, Paula Gardiner
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(Suppl 1), s3–s12
Date: 02/2018
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