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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce supply and demand

Preparing Physicians for Rural-Based Primary Care Practice: A Preliminary Evaluation of Rural Training Initiatives at OSU-COM
Case study discussing a rural physician training program created by the Oklahoma State University Health Sciences Center College of Osteopathic Medicine (OSU-COM) in 2011 to address primary care physician shortages and rural healthcare access issues in Oklahoma. Describes the program's methodology, curriculum, and academic performance outcomes. Offers data on student demographics, GPA comparison of program participants to other OSU-COM medical students, and maps depicting residency and clinical training sites across Oklahoma.
Author(s): Denna L. Wheeler and Jeffrey B. Hackler
Citation: The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 117, 315-324
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
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Access to Dental Care Remains a Challenge for Millions of Michiganders
Report reevaluates a study on oral healthcare access in Michigan. Breaks down key takeaways from the study, such as rates of Medicaid enrolled dentists, access for low-income populations, and dentist distribution.
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pew Charitable Trusts
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Changes in the Physician Workforce in South Carolina: 2009-2015
Summarizes changes in South Carolina's physician workforce, based on data the physicians provided when renewing their licenses in 2009 and 2015. Features statistics including numbers of physicians with breakdowns by specialties, geographic region, and metropolitan, micropolitan, or rural location, as well as gains and losses in rural areas.
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Office for Healthcare Workforce
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Physician Workforce: Locations and Types of Graduate Training Were Largely Unchanged, and Federal Efforts May Not Be Sufficient to Meet Needs
Describes change in numbers of graduate medical education (GME) residents in training from 2005-2015, with breakdowns by location and type of training, and federal efforts to increase this training in rural areas and in primary care.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Mental Health Services in Greater Minnesota
A discussion of mobile crisis teams in the treatment of and access to mental healthcare in rural Minnesota. Includes information about community-based services and barriers to care such as workforce shortages, variable population rates, and impacts on law enforcement officials. County-by-county data and statistics for the state are also provided.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
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Projecting Demand for the Services of Primary Care Doctors
Estimates the expected growth in demand for primary care medical services in the U.S. between 2013 and 2023. Projections are based on an analysis of historical trends between 2003 and 2013, and factor in the following variables: population growth, population age, health insurance coverage status, and other sources of growth in volume and intensity. Examines legislative and non-legislative ways to increase the supply of primary care services, including in rural areas and facilities.
Author(s): Noelia Duchovny, Sam Trachtman, Ellen Werble
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Budget Office
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Rural Family Medicine Outcomes at the University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth
Analysis of 1972-2009 graduates of the Duluth medical school, an institution emphasizing family medicine and service to American Indian communities, showing how gender, race, age, and hometown relate to family medicine specialty, rural practice, and rural family medicine practice. Includes demographic statistics by decade, with breakdowns by rural and urban hometowns.
Author(s): Anna Fuglestad, Jacob Prunuske, Ronald Regal, et al.
Citation: Family Medicine, 49(5), 388-393
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
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Substance Use in Rural Central Appalachia: Current Status and Treatment Considerations
Examines the factors in rural Central Appalachia that influence substance misuse and the treatments, strategies, and interventions to curb drug misuse and improve treatment outcomes. Discusses how the combination of poverty, work-related distress, lack of healthcare coverage, and the shortage of qualified providers of substance use treatments affect the need for a multifaceted policy approach in the region.
Author(s): Lara Moody, Emily Satterwhite, Warren K. Bickel
Citation: Rural Mental Health, 41(2), 123-135
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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Towards the Development of a National Strategic Plan for Graduate Medical Education: 23rd Report
Recommends changes in graduate medical education to address issues including low numbers of medical students from rural backgrounds and sparse supply of physicians in most rural areas.
Author(s): Candice Chen, Kennita R. Carter, Joan Weiss, Ray Bingham, Andrew Sanderson
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Council on Graduate Medical Education
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Demographics of International Medical Graduates in North Dakota
Highlights international medical graduates (IMGs) in North Dakota, focusing on medical school location, age and sex, specialty, and rural/urban location. Based on 2015 data from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile.
Author(s): Gary Hart, Robin Besse, Mandi-Leigh Peterson
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health
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