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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce

Mental Health System Development in Rural and Remote Areas during COVID-19
Report highlights the barriers faced by rural, remote, and tribal communities to accessing mental healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Details rates of mental health treatment over the past year and compares rural and urban communities. Discusses factors affecting access in rural areas such as workforce shortages, lack of telehealth services, and lack of culturally competent care for American Indian and Alaska Native populations, among others.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
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Ready to Respond: Mental Health Beyond Crisis and COVID-19
Report highlights strategies for addressing the need for mental health services in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Details seven recommendations for state mental health programs post-pandemic and discusses workforce challenges and how telehealth can be used to expand access to care to rural and underserved areas.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
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Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program: Too Early to Determine Effects of Allowing Recipients to Serve at For-Profit Facilities
Provides an overview of the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program as well as how the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) manages the program. Examines the effects of eliminating the restrictions on program participants working at for-profit facilities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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School Nurses in Texas K-12 Public & Charter Schools, 2021
Fact sheet describing the school nurse workforce in Texas. Features statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas and basic demographics, education levels, and school grade group distributions.
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
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Relationship Between Population Density and Scope of Practice for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists in Arizona
Study surveyed 230 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) in Arizona to compare scope of practice and population density as well as scope of practice and job satisfaction. Discusses regulations and barriers in scope of practice for CRNAs and other healthcare professionals nationally in the context of recruitment and retention.
Author(s): Michael A. MacKinnon
Citation: AANA Journal, 89(4), 325-333
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
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Improving Behavioral Health Services for Individuals with SMI in Rural and Remote Communities
Discusses behavioral health workforce shortages in rural and remote areas and the effect this has on healthcare access for people with serious mental illness (SMI). Highlights strategies for reducing barriers to access and improve workforce retention. Provides examples of programs to improve access in various states.
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: American Psychiatric Association, SMI Adviser, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Tribal HPOG 2.0 Grantees' Program Adaptations
Describes how the Tribal Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) 2.0 grantees adapted their programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses changes in program staffing, recruitment and enrollment, training, and participant supports.
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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2020 Indiana Pharmacist Workforce Brief
Information on demographics, education, and practice characteristics of Indiana pharmacists, based on self-reported data. Includes information about telepharmacy and authorization to administer various immunizations. Features a county-level map showing geographic distribution of Indiana pharmacists, with shadings indicating rural counties.
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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Minnesota State Oral Health Plan 2020-2030
Outlines the state oral health plan for Minnesota, focusing on the oral health infrastructure, access to oral healthcare, health systems integration, disability, special care needs and inclusion, and data. Includes rural considerations throughout.
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health
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Rural Residency Training as a Strategy to Address Rural Health Disparities: Barriers to Expansion and Possible Solutions
Identifies barriers rural communities face in developing and sustaining graduate medical education programs, and proposes potential solutions including regulatory fixes and legislative action. Includes definitions of key concepts and terminology in the Supplementary Data section.
Additional links: Supplementary Data
Author(s): Emily M. Hawes, Erin Fraher, Steven Crane, et al.
Citation: Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 13(4), 461-465
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
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