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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health aides and assistants

Medicare and Home Health: Taking Stock in the COVID-19 Era
Provides an overview of the Medicare home health benefit including Medicare financing, demographics of beneficiaries, and the home health workforce. Describes the impact of COVID-19 on the utilization home health services and regulatory changes taken in response to the pandemic. Offers policy recommendations to increase the value of home health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author(s): Courtney Harold Van Houtven, Walter D. Dawson
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Virginia's Occupational Therapy Assistant Workforce: 2020
An overview of the occupational therapy assistant (OTA) workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2020 Occupational Therapy Assistant Workforce Survey. Features statistics including the number of OTAs in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
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North Dakota Nursing Facility Workforce Survey Chartbook: 2016
Analyzes the survey results from 78 nursing facility chief executive officers in North Dakota. Describes characteristics of the nursing facility workforce. Includes rural versus urban comparisons for multiple measures, such as registered nurse (RN) vacancy rates, number of nurse full-time equivalents (FTEs), level of difficulty in filling staff positions, most important problem in recruiting RNs, and many others.
Author(s): Gary Hart, Robin Besse, Mandi-Leigh Peterson
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health
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State of Care: Wisconsin's Home Care Landscape
Provides a snapshot of the home care landscape in Wisconsin. Includes information on the quality of care, workforce compensation, training, scope of practice, recruitment and retention, and unique challenges in rural areas. Includes statistics on home care workforce demographics in Wisconsin and at the national level, older adult population by county, and labor force participation as well as unemployment rates in Wisconsin by age, education, gender and family composition, and poverty.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: PHI
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State of Care: Minnesota's Home Care Landscape
Provides a snapshot of the home care landscape in Minnesota. Includes information on the quality of care, workforce compensation, training, and unique challenges and changing demographics in rural areas. Includes statistics on home care workforce demographics in Minnesota and at the national level, and older adult population by county.
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: PHI
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Variation in Residential Care Community Nurse and Aide Staffing Levels: United States, 2014
Presents national and state estimates of staffing levels for registered nurses, licensed practical or vocational nurses, and aides. Features statistics with breakdowns including metropolitan or nonmetropolitan statistical area, nonprofit or for-profit status, size of facility, and types of services provided.
Author(s): Vincent Rome, Lauren D. Harris-Kojetin
Date: 02/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Health Workforce Demand in Washington State: Employers' Current and Expected Needs for Home Care Aides, Medical Assistants, Nursing Assistants Certified, Licensed Practical Nurses, Associate's Degree Registered Nurses
Provides an overview of current and expected employer demands for key entry level healthcare occupations in Washington, such as home care aides, medical assistants, nursing assistants certified, licensed practical nurses, and associate's degree registered nurses.
Author(s): Lorella Palazzo, Susan M. Skillman, Anne Basye, Caitlin C. Morrison
Date: 07/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI 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.
Author(s): D. Kip Brown, Sarah Lash, Bernadette Wright, Ashley Tomisek
Date: 08/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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