Rural Health
News by Topic: Health workforce education and training
May 15, 2026 - The University of Nebraska Medical Center has opened a new $95 million building on the Rural Health Education Complex in Kearney, allowing the campus to offer medicine, pharmacy, and public health programs for the first time. The number of healthcare students on the Kearney campus is expected to double, to about 625.
May 15, 2026 - Interview with former Mayo Clinic lead lab technologist Jim Checkel, who has developed a curriculum to train future rural healthcare providers and researchers. Since buying a Minnesota farm in 1992 Checkel has hosted over 12,000 people at events where students learn about agriculture-related topics, including mechanical injuries and diseases related to farming.
Source: The Daily Yonder
May 13, 2026 - Notice from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Minority Health (OMH) seeking comments on the reinstatement of an information collection titled "OMH Think Cultural Health." The Think Cultural Health (TCH) website is an initiative of HHS OMH that provides resources and tools to promote cultural and linguistic competency in health and healthcare. The information collected will be used to enable health and healthcare professionals to register for courses; obtain accredited continuing education credits; and help ensure that TCH offerings remain relevant, useful, and responsive to the needs of their target audiences. Comments are due by June 12, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
May 11, 2026 - The Dolly Parton Children's Hospital, formerly known as East Tennessee Children's Hospital, is expanding pediatric care, particularly in rural communities. The hospital serves about 20 counties in the region, and its new pediatric residency program will begin in summer 2027.
Source: Knox News
May 11, 2026 - The Care Collaborative, a University of Kansas Health System patient safety organization, has launched a program to support maternity care in rural areas, by offering in-person instruction at emergency rooms across the state. In Kansas only about a third of rural hospitals still deliver babies.
Source: WAFB9
May 10, 2026 - The University of Minnesota Medical School is partnering with Lakewood Health System to launch a residency in Staples, a small city in west-central Minnesota. Residents will have one year of training in Minneapolis, followed by two years in Staples. The aim of the program is to address the shortage of doctors in rural Minnesota.
Source: MPR News
May 7, 2026 - The Stephen F. Austin State University nursing program enrolls about 100 students a year, and is working to address a nurse shortage that is especially acute in rural communities. The Texas Health and Human Services agency estimates that by 2032 there will be a shortage of 57,000 nurses in the state.
Source: KTRE
May 5, 2026 - Highlights the role of the Texas Health Resources mobile medical simulation lab in providing on-site training for rural healthcare providers outside the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Source: High Plains Public Radio
Apr 23, 2026 - Highlights 4 forensic healthcare programs from Indian Health Service providers in Wisconsin, Arizona, and New Mexico for Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Includes resources and information for healthcare providers and the general public.
Source: Indian Health Service
Apr 22, 2026 - The University of Washington's Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program doubled in size last year, after moving to the Gonzaga University campus and expanding Spokane-based training to the first two years of dental school. 78% of RIDE students practice in rural areas after graduation.
Source: The Spokesman-Review