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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Financial aid for health careers

Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act & Related Legislation and Administrative Action Impacting Rural Health
Provides an overview of legislation passed by Congress regarding COVID-19. Identifies provisions relevant to rural healthcare providers, including the Paycheck Protection Program, funding for public health and rural workforce programs, telehealth flexibilities, and more.
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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2021 Idaho Primary Care Needs Assessment
Identifies Idaho communities with the greatest unmet healthcare needs, disparities, and healthcare workforce shortages, and discusses key barriers to accessing preventive and primary care services. Includes sections on Health Professional Shortage Areas, Medically Underserved Areas and Populations, the Idaho State Loan Repayment Program, the Rural Physician Incentive Program, primary care educational opportunities, and advanced medical training programs in Idaho. Features maps showing urban, rural, and frontier areas, locations of Rural Health Clinics, and locations of Critical Access Hospitals.
Author(s): Alex Prado
Date: 03/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Idaho Bureau of Rural Health and Primary Care
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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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Investing in a Health Workforce that Meets Rural Needs
Offers suggestions for advancing sustainable financing of rural training and practice and developing strategic planning to build a more flexible, dynamic, and interprofessional rural workforce. Includes a brief overview of current graduate medical education financing in the United States.
Date: 02/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Council on Graduate Medical Education
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National Health Service Corps Report to Congress for the Year 2020
Details program accomplishments of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), provides updates on Health Professional Shortage Area designations, explains recruitment efforts for NHSC Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs, provides estimates on number of patients seen by NHSC clinicians, and details short- and long-term retention rates. Features state-by-state data with breakdowns by urban and rural locations.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Missouri Primary Care Needs Assessment (PCNA) 2020
Analyzes Missouri's unmet healthcare needs and lack of access to healthcare services, and evaluates resources and services necessary to overcome health disparities in Missouri. Mentions rural throughout. Features statistics on Health Professional Shortage Areas, various incentive programs, and 33 primary care health indicators, with breakdowns by urban and rural locations.
Author(s): Sara Davenport, Laura Hart, Aleesha Jones, et al.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Missouri Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
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Louisiana Primary Care Needs Assessment: Closing the Gap on Healthcare Disparities and Workforce Shortages
Identifies unmet needs and disparities in health outcomes in Louisiana, explores health workforce concerns, and discusses barriers to accessing healthcare. Includes a section on Health Professional Shortage Areas and mentions rural throughout.
Author(s): Hayley Alexander, Barrie Black, Nicole Coarsey, Kimberly Brent
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Well-Ahead Louisiana
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National Health Services Corps (NHSC) New Site Application Webinar for Rural Health Clinics
Recording of a June 30, 2020 webinar providing an overview of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) new site application process. Discusses the benefits of the NHSC program for outpatient facilities that provide primary care medical, dental, and/or mental and behavioral health services, site eligibility requirements, and how to apply as a new site. Part of the Rural Health Clinic Technical Assistance Series.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Transcript
Date: 06/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Recruiting and Retaining Behavioral Health Workers in Rural America: A Toolkit for Action
Explores successful tactics and programs, and elements missing from many current efforts to recruit and retain behavioral health workers. Describes funding opportunities, pipeline programs, telehealth initiatives, innovative approaches to recruitment and retention, and legislative changes in 2019 that helped promote recruitment and retention.
Author(s): Nancy Baum, Jaque King
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Health and Research Transformation, University of Michigan Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center
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The Behavioral Health Workforce in Rural America: Developing a National Recruitment Strategy
Describes successful strategies to recruit and retain behavioral health workers in rural areas, based on phone interviews with state-level experts in rural health and behavioral health. Explores financial incentives, education and training programs, telehealth, licensure or scope of practice changes, innovative state approaches, and policy considerations.
Author(s): Nancy Baum, Jaque King
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health and Research Transformation
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