Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce supply and demand
Solving Georgia's Healthcare Staffing Crisis Locally
A recorded podcast featuring Jim Matney, president and CEO of Colquitt Regional Health System in rural Georgia. Discusses workforce development and rural healthcare pathways, focusing on physician residency programs, a high school practical nursing program, and collaboration with local colleges.
Author(s): Tom Haederle, Elisa Arespacochaga, Jim Matney
Date: 11/2026
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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A recorded podcast featuring Jim Matney, president and CEO of Colquitt Regional Health System in rural Georgia. Discusses workforce development and rural healthcare pathways, focusing on physician residency programs, a high school practical nursing program, and collaboration with local colleges.
Author(s): Tom Haederle, Elisa Arespacochaga, Jim Matney
Date: 11/2026
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Georgia Nurse Workforce Fact Sheet
Provides information on Georgia's nursing workforce, based on 2024-2025 nurse licensure data. Features a county-level map showing nurse density, as well as rural and urban county status.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce
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Provides information on Georgia's nursing workforce, based on 2024-2025 nurse licensure data. Features a county-level map showing nurse density, as well as rural and urban county status.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce
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Georgia Graduate Medical Education Exit Survey Report: Based on Responses to the 2026 GME Exit Survey
Results of a survey of 926 Georgia graduate medical education (GME) graduates, providing demographics and information on compensation and debt levels, retention rates, practice plans, assessments of the job market, and training experiences. Features statistics on practice location with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density and percent planning rural practice.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce
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Results of a survey of 926 Georgia graduate medical education (GME) graduates, providing demographics and information on compensation and debt levels, retention rates, practice plans, assessments of the job market, and training experiences. Features statistics on practice location with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density and percent planning rural practice.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce
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Strategies for Addressing California's Rural Behavioral Health Workforce Shortages
Issue brief discussing behavioral health workforce shortages in rural California and identifying state policy and healthcare delivery strategies to support workforce supply and improve behavioral health access in the state. Covers topics including expanded behavioral health availability in primary care settings, use of community health workers and telehealth to expand service availability, workforce development, recruitment and retention, and more. The associated planning guide provides guidance on planning and implementing behavioral health workforce strategies at the community level.
Additional links: Planning Guide
Author(s): Rachel Davis
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Healthforce Center at UCSF
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Issue brief discussing behavioral health workforce shortages in rural California and identifying state policy and healthcare delivery strategies to support workforce supply and improve behavioral health access in the state. Covers topics including expanded behavioral health availability in primary care settings, use of community health workers and telehealth to expand service availability, workforce development, recruitment and retention, and more. The associated planning guide provides guidance on planning and implementing behavioral health workforce strategies at the community level.
Additional links: Planning Guide
Author(s): Rachel Davis
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Healthforce Center at UCSF
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Rural Versus Urban Distribution of Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Training and Associated Rural Community Characteristics
Examines location of OB/GYN residency program training sites and the community's associated sociodemographic characteristics and healthcare workforce supply. Utilizes 2023-2024 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) data to provide a map showing OB/GYN training site distribution across the U.S. as well as 2022-2023 Area Health Resource File data to analyze healthcare access characteristics of rural communities with or without OB/GYN residency program training sites. Discusses challenges in providing rural-focused opportunities during graduate medical education (GME) rotations and the related impact on maternity care shortages.
Author(s): Ryan Spencer, Mukesh Adhikari, Lori Rodefeld, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(4), e70231
Date: 10/2026
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Examines location of OB/GYN residency program training sites and the community's associated sociodemographic characteristics and healthcare workforce supply. Utilizes 2023-2024 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) data to provide a map showing OB/GYN training site distribution across the U.S. as well as 2022-2023 Area Health Resource File data to analyze healthcare access characteristics of rural communities with or without OB/GYN residency program training sites. Discusses challenges in providing rural-focused opportunities during graduate medical education (GME) rotations and the related impact on maternity care shortages.
Author(s): Ryan Spencer, Mukesh Adhikari, Lori Rodefeld, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(4), e70231
Date: 10/2026
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Building on the 2025 National Academies Pharmacy Workshop: Pharmacy Deserts in the United States
Describes pharmacy access in the United States, including discussions of "pharmacy desert" definitions by rurality, drivers of recent pharmacy desert trends, and the impact of pharmacy deserts on health outcomes. Highlights potential policy strategies for addressing pharmacy deserts with a focus on the pharmacy workforce, reimbursement and payment models, new technologies, and service delivery models.
Author(s): Lucas A. Berenbrok, Delesha Carpenter, Teresa M. Salgado, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(10)
Date: 10/2026
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Describes pharmacy access in the United States, including discussions of "pharmacy desert" definitions by rurality, drivers of recent pharmacy desert trends, and the impact of pharmacy deserts on health outcomes. Highlights potential policy strategies for addressing pharmacy deserts with a focus on the pharmacy workforce, reimbursement and payment models, new technologies, and service delivery models.
Author(s): Lucas A. Berenbrok, Delesha Carpenter, Teresa M. Salgado, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(10)
Date: 10/2026
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Dashboard: Arkansas Dentist Workforce
Dashboard providing data on the demographics and geographic distribution of dentists in Arkansas. Includes rural-urban comparisons and county-level data.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Dashboard providing data on the demographics and geographic distribution of dentists in Arkansas. Includes rural-urban comparisons and county-level data.
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
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Survey of the Availability of Neurology Services on Hawaiʻi Island
Examines access to neurology services via a survey of 28 primary care physicians on Hawaii Island, covering topics including the prevalence of neurological complaints or diagnoses among patients, the ability of physicians to manage or refer patients for neurological conditions, and more. Discusses access challenges related to Hawaii's rurality throughout.
Author(s): Jan Augustine E. Aurelio, J. Douglas Miles
Citation: Hawaii Journal of Health and Social Welfare, 85(10), 299-306
Date: 10/2026
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Examines access to neurology services via a survey of 28 primary care physicians on Hawaii Island, covering topics including the prevalence of neurological complaints or diagnoses among patients, the ability of physicians to manage or refer patients for neurological conditions, and more. Discusses access challenges related to Hawaii's rurality throughout.
Author(s): Jan Augustine E. Aurelio, J. Douglas Miles
Citation: Hawaii Journal of Health and Social Welfare, 85(10), 299-306
Date: 10/2026
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Rural and Urban Differences in the Trends in Supply of Home Care Workers From 2015 to 2024
Examines how the supply of direct care workers varies by rural or urban location using 2015-2024 American Community Survey data. Includes data comparisons by pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods.
Author(s): Diogo Miguel Goncalves Fortes, Katherine Miller
Citation: Journal of Applied Gerontology
Date: 10/2026
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Examines how the supply of direct care workers varies by rural or urban location using 2015-2024 American Community Survey data. Includes data comparisons by pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods.
Author(s): Diogo Miguel Goncalves Fortes, Katherine Miller
Citation: Journal of Applied Gerontology
Date: 10/2026
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2026 Maine Healthcare Occupations Report
Data and analysis of the Maine healthcare workforce. Includes demographics and workforce distribution by county. Features numbers of healthcare workers in various occupations as of 2025 and projected need by 2034.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Workforce Research and Information, Maine Department of Labor
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Data and analysis of the Maine healthcare workforce. Includes demographics and workforce distribution by county. Features numbers of healthcare workers in various occupations as of 2025 and projected need by 2034.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Workforce Research and Information, Maine Department of Labor
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