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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce

Designation of Frontier Health Professional Shortage Areas
Discusses the frontier-specific health professional shortage area designation and the unique characteristics attributed to frontier areas that may contribute to a more fragile healthcare delivery system and a greater need for healthcare professionals. Includes policy recommendations supporting an appropriate designation, improved healthcare access, and assistance in recruiting healthcare providers.
Author(s): Susan Wilger, Charlie Alfero
Date: 04/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Addressing Chronic Disease Through Community Health Workers: A Policy and Systems-Level Approach
Provides guidelines for the integration of community health workers (CHWs) into community based chronic disease prevention programs. Includes examples from a variety of CHW programs, some of which serve rural communities.
Date: 04/2015
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Service Learning: A Vehicle for Building Health Equity and Eliminating Health Disparities
Details 5 different seven-day long service learning courses for emerging health professionals focused on urban, rural, border, and indigenous health. Includes information on the course themes, partners, impacts on the students, and communities.
Author(s): Samantha Sabo, Jill de Zapien, Nicolette Teufel-Shone, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 105(Suppl 1), S38-S43
Date: 03/2015
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Personality Profiles of Rural Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship Students Who Choose Family Medicine
Examines whether rural clerkship students who intended to and eventually practiced family medicine had personality traits different from rural clerkship students who intended to practice in all other specialties. Includes statistics with breakdowns by sex, medical specialty, year of clerkship, age group, marital status, and personality trait.
Author(s): Diann S. Eley, Kathleen D. Brooks, Therese Zink, C. Robert Cloninger
Citation: Family Medicine, 47(3), 194-203
Date: 03/2015
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Perspectives of Rural Hospice Directors
Presents findings from interviews of rural hospice directors in 47 states. Identifies six primary issues including workforce, finance and reimbursement, regulations, technology, general rural issues, and relationships with other providers.
Author(s): Brad Gibbens, Shawnda Schroeder, Alana Knudson, Gary Hart
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
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Estimating the Residency Expansion Required to Avoid Projected Primary Care Physician Shortages by 2035
Discusses the projected shortage of primary care physicians by 2035. Briefly mentions expanding graduate medical education training through the use of teaching health centers and rural training tracks to increase those who choose primary care.
Author(s): Stephen M. Petterson, Winston R. Liaw, Carol Tran, Andrew W. Bazemore
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 13(2), 107-114
Date: 03/2015
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Teaching Health Centers: A Promising Approach for Building Primary Care Workforce for the 21st Century
Provides information about Teaching Health Centers (THC), including the number of physicians choosing primary care following residency, location of practice, number of patients served by THCs, and characteristics of patients. Also discusses the impact that loss of federal funding may have on this graduate medical education training program.
Author(s): Leighton Ku, Fitzhugh Mullan, Cristine Serrano, Zoe Barber, Peter Shin
Date: 03/2015
Sponsoring organization: George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management
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Rural Economic Development
Policy brief identifying the critical elements for addressing quality of life challenges faced by rural communities. Covers four areas: community development, a diversified economic development plan, educational opportunities, and healthcare workforce development.
Author(s): Alison F. Davis
Date: 02/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Quality of Life Impacts the Recruitment and Retention of Rural Health Care Providers
Policy paper discussing the aspect of maintaining a professional quality of life and its impact on the recruitment and retention of healthcare providers in rural areas. Professional quality of life refers to promoting the advantages of rural practice over the negative aspects.
Author(s): Dayle Sharp, Maritza Bond, Kelly Cheek, Holly Wolff
Date: 02/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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The Future of Rural Behavioral Health
Policy paper discussing the unique challenges of providing behavioral healthcare services in rural areas. Includes policy recommendations and interventions related to workforce development, reimbursement and financing, integration of care, and the use of technology in delivering behavioral healthcare.
Author(s): Will Wilson, Angela Bangs, Tammy Hatting
Date: 02/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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