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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce

Meeting the Needs of Older Adults Living in Rural Communities: The Roles of Area Agencies on Aging
Presents results from the 2019 National Survey of Area Agencies on Aging. Describes the role of Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) in serving older adults in rural communities. Compares the organizational structure, services and programs offered, budget, and workforce of rural and non-rural AAAs.
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USAging
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Tackling America's Mental Health and Addiction Crisis Through Primary Care Integration
Explores how primary and behavioral healthcare integration can overcome the unmet needs for mental health and substance use services. Discusses barriers to integrated care delivery. Offers policy recommendations to improve the integration of primary and behavioral healthcare services through enhanced payments, training, and technical assistance, and improving access to behavioral health providers for consultation and referral.
Additional links: Infographic
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Student Loan Programs Authorized by the Public Health Service Act: An Overview
Provides an overview of student loan programs for health profession students authorized by the Public Health Service Act and administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Describes borrower eligibility requirements, loan terms and conditions, and administrative rules. Includes a table comparing the programs by borrower type, repayment terms, the number of participating schools, and the number and financial amount of outstanding loans.
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis
Documentation of a March 23, 2021, House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing on maternal health disparities. Discusses causes and possible policy options to reduce these disparities.
Date: 03/2021
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
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CHWs At Work: Making a Difference for Oklahoma's Marshallese Community
Highlights an Oklahoma program that uses community health workers (CHWs) for outreach to the Marshallese community in a three-county area. Provides a brief history and overview of the Marshallese population and discusses the health concerns the CHWs address.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Grantee Directory: Rural Tribal COVID-19 Response Program, 2020
Provides contact information and brief project descriptions for the 57 tribal grantees funded under the Rural Tribal COVID-19 Response Grant Program in the 2020-2022 funding cycle. Activities supported by this funding include COVID-19 testing, telehealth implementation, personal protective equipment and supplies, and hiring and training healthcare providers.
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2021
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services, improving Medicare payment for post-acute care, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and the impact of healthcare provider consolidation. Contains information on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Medicare beneficiary healthcare access, mortality, and service use. Presents an option for Medicare's coverage of telehealth beyond the public health emergency.
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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"All Hands On Deck": The COVID-19 Pandemic Through Nurses' Eyes
Podcast recording featuring Mary Wakefield describes the role of nurses and the challenges they have faced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses shortages of personal protective equipment, workforce challenges, vaccine administration, and solutions to support nurses in the future. Highlights the experiences of nurses at rural hospitals and clinics.
Date: 03/2021
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Innovations and Workforce Challenges for CAHs during COVID-19
Presents results from a survey of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) on hospital operation and workforce adaptations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses innovative practices adopted by CAHs related to hospital processes and clinical care. Describes how CAHs overcame workforce challenges during COVID-19.
Author(s): Madeleine Pick, Megan Lahr, Keelia Silvis, Ira Moscovice
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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The Distribution of the General Surgery Workforce in Rural and Urban America in 2019
Explores regional, rural-urban, and intra-rural differences in the supply of general surgeons, using 2019 data. Compares the 2019 findings to results of a similar analysis using 2001 data. Intended to give policymakers, workforce analysts, and medical educators an up-to-date picture of current and long-term trends in supply and distribution of the rural and urban general surgeon workforce. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban, rural, large rural, and small rural locations.
Author(s): Eric H. Larson, C. Holly A. Andrilla, John Kearney, Lisa A. Garberson, Davis G. Patterson
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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