Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health aides and assistants
Texas Certified Nurse Aides, 2024
County-level breakdown of the Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) workforce in Texas. Includes number of CNAs along with ratios to the population of each county.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
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County-level breakdown of the Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) workforce in Texas. Includes number of CNAs along with ratios to the population of each county.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
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Addressing the Direct Care Workforce Shortage: A Bipartisan Call to Action
Report discusses direct care worker shortages throughout the country. Details shortages of home health aids, certified nursing assistants, and residential care aids, among other direct care workers, and makes recommendations for decreasing shortages. Highlights some of the added barriers faced by rural communities.
Author(s): Lisa Harootunian, Kamryn Perry, Allison Buffett, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Report discusses direct care worker shortages throughout the country. Details shortages of home health aids, certified nursing assistants, and residential care aids, among other direct care workers, and makes recommendations for decreasing shortages. Highlights some of the added barriers faced by rural communities.
Author(s): Lisa Harootunian, Kamryn Perry, Allison Buffett, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Medical Assistants' Telehealth Roles and Skills in Primary Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Study examining the role of medical assistants (MAs) in providing primary care via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. 10 key informants from national and state primary care organizations were interviewed. Results include discussion about the variation in roles being dependent on organization size and rurality.
Author(s): Samantha W. Pollack, Susan M. Skillman, Tracy M. Mroz, Bianca K. Frogner
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Study examining the role of medical assistants (MAs) in providing primary care via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. 10 key informants from national and state primary care organizations were interviewed. Results include discussion about the variation in roles being dependent on organization size and rurality.
Author(s): Samantha W. Pollack, Susan M. Skillman, Tracy M. Mroz, Bianca K. Frogner
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Strengthening the Direct Service Workforce in Rural Areas
Summarizes the challenges of the direct service workforce in rural areas including strategies that rural stakeholders can use to provide high-quality, long-term care services and supports. Discusses the challenges of recruiting and retaining direct-care workers in rural areas.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Summarizes the challenges of the direct service workforce in rural areas including strategies that rural stakeholders can use to provide high-quality, long-term care services and supports. Discusses the challenges of recruiting and retaining direct-care workers in rural areas.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Who Will Care for Rural Older Adults? Measuring the Direct Care Workforce in Rural Areas
Policy brief examining existing disparities in the supply of home health aides and nursing assistants in rural areas compared to urban areas. Features statistics on the ratio of home health aides and nursing assistants relative to the population of adults age 65 and above, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas and by census region.
Author(s): Janette Dill, Carrie Henning-Smith, Rongxuan Zhu, Elizabeth Vomacka
Date: 11/2022
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Policy brief examining existing disparities in the supply of home health aides and nursing assistants in rural areas compared to urban areas. Features statistics on the ratio of home health aides and nursing assistants relative to the population of adults age 65 and above, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas and by census region.
Author(s): Janette Dill, Carrie Henning-Smith, Rongxuan Zhu, Elizabeth Vomacka
Date: 11/2022
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage
Recording of February 10, 2022 testimony before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, offering recommendations for strategies to alleviate anticipated shortages in the healthcare workforce, including in rural areas. Features testimonies by representatives of the National Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Training Consortium, Xavier University of Louisiana, the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement, and the Heritage Foundation.
Additional links: C. Reynold Verret Testimony, Margaret Flinter Testimony, Norma Quinones Testimony, Rachel Greszler Testimony
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Recording of February 10, 2022 testimony before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, offering recommendations for strategies to alleviate anticipated shortages in the healthcare workforce, including in rural areas. Features testimonies by representatives of the National Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Training Consortium, Xavier University of Louisiana, the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement, and the Heritage Foundation.
Additional links: C. Reynold Verret Testimony, Margaret Flinter Testimony, Norma Quinones Testimony, Rachel Greszler Testimony
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Arizona Health Workforce Profile: Direct Care Workers (DCWs)
Brief examining the direct care workforce in Arizona, including a breakdown of home health and personal aides, Nursing Assistants, and Licensed Practical Nurses by small, medium, and large counties. Uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Handbook and the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.
Author(s): B. Koch, S. Coates, C. Drake, D. Derksen
Date: 2022
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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Brief examining the direct care workforce in Arizona, including a breakdown of home health and personal aides, Nursing Assistants, and Licensed Practical Nurses by small, medium, and large counties. Uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Handbook and the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.
Author(s): B. Koch, S. Coates, C. Drake, D. Derksen
Date: 2022
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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Strengthening the Entry-Level Health Care Workforce: Finding a Path
Examines gaps in the existing healthcare workforce, challenges facing entry-level healthcare workers (EHCW), current EHCW training programs and contexts where training programs are used effectively, and strategies and policy opportunities to strengthen the EHCW. Includes rural references throughout and case studies for programs in rural Alaska and Washington. Provides an interactive inventory of existing policies and programs that support EHCW training, recruitment, and retention.
Additional links: Entry-Level Health Care Workforce: Information and Programs Visualization Tool
Author(s): Shira H. Fischer, Ryan K. McBain, Laura J. Faherty, et al.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RAND Corporation
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Examines gaps in the existing healthcare workforce, challenges facing entry-level healthcare workers (EHCW), current EHCW training programs and contexts where training programs are used effectively, and strategies and policy opportunities to strengthen the EHCW. Includes rural references throughout and case studies for programs in rural Alaska and Washington. Provides an interactive inventory of existing policies and programs that support EHCW training, recruitment, and retention.
Additional links: Entry-Level Health Care Workforce: Information and Programs Visualization Tool
Author(s): Shira H. Fischer, Ryan K. McBain, Laura J. Faherty, et al.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RAND Corporation
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Use of Apprenticeship to Meet Demand for Medical Assistants in the U.S.
Reports findings from a study of registered medical assistant (MA) apprenticeship programs in 12 states. Discusses the workforce needs these programs may help address, including workforce needs in rural communities. Describes the programs and discusses challenges with starting and maintaining MA apprenticeship programs.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Andrew D. Jopson, Susan M. Skillman, Bianca K. Frogner
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Reports findings from a study of registered medical assistant (MA) apprenticeship programs in 12 states. Discusses the workforce needs these programs may help address, including workforce needs in rural communities. Describes the programs and discusses challenges with starting and maintaining MA apprenticeship programs.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Andrew D. Jopson, Susan M. Skillman, Bianca K. Frogner
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Active Ottumwa: Adapting Evidence-Based Recommendations to Promote Physical Activity in a Micropolitan New Destination Community
Reports on the development of an evidence-based community-wide intervention promoting physical activity in Ottumwa, Iowa, a micropolitan community of nearly 25,000 people. This program, Active Ottumwa, utilizes lay health advisors and incorporates behavioral and social intervention approaches to improve health. Evaluation procedures for this study include a community survey, longitudinal cohort assessment, observational data, interviews, and project records.
Author(s): Barbara Baquero, Christine M. Kava, Sato Ashida, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(5), 917
Date: 05/2018
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Reports on the development of an evidence-based community-wide intervention promoting physical activity in Ottumwa, Iowa, a micropolitan community of nearly 25,000 people. This program, Active Ottumwa, utilizes lay health advisors and incorporates behavioral and social intervention approaches to improve health. Evaluation procedures for this study include a community survey, longitudinal cohort assessment, observational data, interviews, and project records.
Author(s): Barbara Baquero, Christine M. Kava, Sato Ashida, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(5), 917
Date: 05/2018
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