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Rural Health
News by Topic: Health workforce

Apr 3, 2024 - Announces proposed bipartisan legislation, the Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act, to increase preparedness for rural hospitals and doctors in emergency obstetric care. The legislation would create training programs, offer grants, and develop pilot telehealth services. Also describes other healthcare related legislation.
Source: Office of Senator Katie Britt
Apr 2, 2024 - Profiles a library in rural Louisiana offering telehealth services in an area with Primary, Dental, and Mental Healthcare Shortages. Discusses rural economic vitality including healthcare access.
Source: The Current
Apr 1, 2024 - Offers highlights of public health priorities identified by Governors across the country during the National Governors Association's 2024 State of the State. Discusses behavioral health, public health, maternal and child health, rural healthcare workforce, and rural facility closures.
Source: National Governors Association
Apr 1, 2024 - Describes challenges rural health systems face when fighting infectious diseases, including shortages of infectious diseases physicians, geographic isolation, and difficulties in accessing mentoring in infection prevention and control.
Source: JAMA Network
Mar 26, 2024 - Announces an upcoming virtual workshop on using collaboration and partnerships for growing the health workforce. The workshop is scheduled for April 16, 2024.
Source: Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration
Mar 25, 2024 - Summarizes recent research finding that female patients at rural Community Health Centers are more likely to be behind on cervical cancer screenings than patients in urban community health centers. Discusses factors associated with the disparity including English proficiency, income levels, employment, and primary care physician access. Notes that the disparity grew during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Medical Xpress
Mar 21, 2024 - A charitable donation to a community health center system will increase access to ultrasound technology in Montana and Wyoming as well as train healthcare workforce on new sonography technology. Discusses workforce shortages and the impact of new technology on health outcomes in rural and frontier areas.
Source: Cowboy State Daily
Mar 20, 2024 - Highlights the Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal (RURAL) Study, a 6 year study investigating risk and protective factors for lung and heart disease for rural residents in 4 Southern states. Discusses the under-representation of rural residents in research and their recruitment strategies. Notes early results from the study as well as the role large public health studies can play in developing a new generation of researchers.
Source: UVM Today
Mar 19, 2024 - Discusses suicide rates in rural Minnesota and factors contributing to the trends including workforce shortages, stigma, and farming industry suicide rate disparities. Notes initiatives aiming to reduce the rates and challenges that remain.
Source: MinnPost
Mar 18, 2024 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on the extension of an information collection titled "Disclosure Requirement for the In-Office Ancillary Services Exception." CMS will use the information collected to enforce the requirement that physicians who provide certain imaging services (MRI, CT, and PET) under the in-office ancillary services exception to the physician self-referral prohibition must provide the disclosure notice as well as the list of other imaging suppliers to the patient. Comments are due by May 17, 2024.
Source: Federal Register