Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce
State Flex Program Staff Sustainability Guide and Toolkit
A guide for state Flex Programs to help recruit good Flex Program staff, train them successfully, retain staff longer, and plan an orderly process of finding and training new staff before the outgoing staff leave. Presents a Staff Sustainability Cycle, a process for improving the retention of high-performing Flex Program staff, and outlines specific strategies and practical tools for addressing each component of the cycle.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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A guide for state Flex Programs to help recruit good Flex Program staff, train them successfully, retain staff longer, and plan an orderly process of finding and training new staff before the outgoing staff leave. Presents a Staff Sustainability Cycle, a process for improving the retention of high-performing Flex Program staff, and outlines specific strategies and practical tools for addressing each component of the cycle.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Mental Health
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan mental health HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan mental health HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Additional links: Mental Health HPSA Table
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan mental health HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan mental health HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Additional links: Mental Health HPSA Table
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Primary Care
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan primary care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan primary care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Additional links: Primary Care HPSA Table
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan primary care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan primary care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Additional links: Primary Care HPSA Table
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Dental Care
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan dental care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan dental care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Additional links: Dental Health HPSA Table
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan dental care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan dental care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Additional links: Dental Health HPSA Table
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Vermont Health Care Workforce Census: Opticians, 2024
Provides a snapshot of opticians in Vermont, based on data obtained during the July 2024 relicensing period. Features a county-level map showing numbers of full-time equivalent opticians per 100,000 population.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Vermont Department of Health
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Provides a snapshot of opticians in Vermont, based on data obtained during the July 2024 relicensing period. Features a county-level map showing numbers of full-time equivalent opticians per 100,000 population.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Vermont Department of Health
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Feasibility and Acceptability of a Rural Palliative Care Intervention for Patients with Heart Failure (RuPAL-HF)
Evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of a collaborative palliative care model among 13 patients with heart failure receiving care at a primary care clinic in rural Maine. Covers topics including staff training outcomes, telehealth use, and the facilitators of end-of-life conversations, planning documents, and more.
Author(s): Francesca X. Piccolo, Eric C. Anderson, Hanna Gutow, et al.
Citation: BMC Palliative Care, 25, 245
Date: 06/2026
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Evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of a collaborative palliative care model among 13 patients with heart failure receiving care at a primary care clinic in rural Maine. Covers topics including staff training outcomes, telehealth use, and the facilitators of end-of-life conversations, planning documents, and more.
Author(s): Francesca X. Piccolo, Eric C. Anderson, Hanna Gutow, et al.
Citation: BMC Palliative Care, 25, 245
Date: 06/2026
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Remote Work: How US State Practices Affect Rural Local Public Health
Examines perspectives on remote work in rural local health departments (LHDs) and state health departments, using interview data from 14 rural LHD leaders. Discusses benefits and complications of remote work for LHD staff recruitment and retention, communication with state health department staff, and more.
Author(s): Paula M. Kett, Kelly Chadwick, Betty Bekemeier
Citation: American Journal of Public Health
Date: 06/2026
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Examines perspectives on remote work in rural local health departments (LHDs) and state health departments, using interview data from 14 rural LHD leaders. Discusses benefits and complications of remote work for LHD staff recruitment and retention, communication with state health department staff, and more.
Author(s): Paula M. Kett, Kelly Chadwick, Betty Bekemeier
Citation: American Journal of Public Health
Date: 06/2026
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Is Access to Primary Care Clinicians Improving in North Carolina? A 2025 Update
Blog post providing updated information on the ratio of North Carolina population to primary care clinicians. Provides county-level maps with shadings showing better or worse access to primary care as of 2025 and percentage change in access from 2017-2025.
Author(s): Evan Galloway
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Sheps Health Workforce NC, The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Blog post providing updated information on the ratio of North Carolina population to primary care clinicians. Provides county-level maps with shadings showing better or worse access to primary care as of 2025 and percentage change in access from 2017-2025.
Author(s): Evan Galloway
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Sheps Health Workforce NC, The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Nursing in the Rural West: Challenges and Opportunities for Supporting Rural Students and Communities
Provides a regional perspective on nursing workforce needs in Western rural areas, based on discussions with stakeholders from Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado. Highlights rural nursing student supports, clinical placements, faculty development, and preceptor development.
Author(s): Colleen Falkenstern
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
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Provides a regional perspective on nursing workforce needs in Western rural areas, based on discussions with stakeholders from Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado. Highlights rural nursing student supports, clinical placements, faculty development, and preceptor development.
Author(s): Colleen Falkenstern
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
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National Health Center Financial and Operational Performance Analysis: 2021–2024
Examines financial and operational characteristics of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) from 2021-2024. Explores FQHC growth and expansion, patient and payer mix, revenue and growth mix, staffing and productivity, operational trends, financial performance, and quality of care. Compares data on rural FQHCs to urban and national FQHC data.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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Examines financial and operational characteristics of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) from 2021-2024. Explores FQHC growth and expansion, patient and payer mix, revenue and growth mix, staffing and productivity, operational trends, financial performance, and quality of care. Compares data on rural FQHCs to urban and national FQHC data.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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