Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Licensure and certification of health professionals
Governors' Policy Actions in Rural Health Workforce
Describes policy actions taken by governors to advance healthcare career pathways, education and training, and recruitment and retention, as well as policies related to licensure and scope of practice. Includes examples from state Rural Health Transformation Program project narratives.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Governors Association
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Describes policy actions taken by governors to advance healthcare career pathways, education and training, and recruitment and retention, as well as policies related to licensure and scope of practice. Includes examples from state Rural Health Transformation Program project narratives.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Governors Association
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Access to and Provision of Child and Youth Behavioral Health Services in the Rural and Urban U.S.
Compiles findings from 9 reports on youth behavioral health in the rural U.S. Describes prevalence of behavioral health conditions, the youth behavioral health workforce, behavioral health licensure and reimbursement policy, and provision of youth behavioral health services. Features statistics with breakdowns by 7 levels of population density.
Author(s): Janessa M. Graves, Lisa A. Garberson, Sara C. Woolcock, C. Holly A. Andrilla
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Compiles findings from 9 reports on youth behavioral health in the rural U.S. Describes prevalence of behavioral health conditions, the youth behavioral health workforce, behavioral health licensure and reimbursement policy, and provision of youth behavioral health services. Features statistics with breakdowns by 7 levels of population density.
Author(s): Janessa M. Graves, Lisa A. Garberson, Sara C. Woolcock, C. Holly A. Andrilla
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Healthcare Priorities in Governors' 2026 State of the State Addresses
Summarizes common themes from governors' 2026 legislative addresses regarding healthcare. Highlights rural healthcare access, the Rural Health Transformation Program, workforce, healthcare technology, licensing reform, affordability, and more.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Governors Association
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Summarizes common themes from governors' 2026 legislative addresses regarding healthcare. Highlights rural healthcare access, the Rural Health Transformation Program, workforce, healthcare technology, licensing reform, affordability, and more.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Governors Association
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Expanding Access to Community Health Workers in Rural Communities
Webinar recording examines community health worker (CHW) programs in Oregon, Tennessee, and Virginia that support access to essential health services in rural areas. Focuses on integrating CHWs into interdisciplinary teams within health systems, program design, CHW training and certification, and more. Transcript available below description.
Author(s): Megan Terrell, Annie Cloke, Brea Burke, et al.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Webinar recording examines community health worker (CHW) programs in Oregon, Tennessee, and Virginia that support access to essential health services in rural areas. Focuses on integrating CHWs into interdisciplinary teams within health systems, program design, CHW training and certification, and more. Transcript available below description.
Author(s): Megan Terrell, Annie Cloke, Brea Burke, et al.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Reducing Behavioral Health Licensure Barriers Through Supervision Incentives
Examines the impact of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska's American Rescue Plan Act supervision incentive program to promote school clinical supervision of behavioral health professionals. Provides information on organizational characteristics and supervision barriers of 19 Nebraska organizations who received funding assistance to supervise provisionally licensed behavioral health providers. Discusses the importance of supporting supervisory capacity in rural areas.
Author(s): Jessica Buche, Caitlyn Wayment, Sydney Buckland, Marley Doyle, Melissa Tibbits
Citation: Journal of Rural Mental Health
Date: 2026
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Examines the impact of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska's American Rescue Plan Act supervision incentive program to promote school clinical supervision of behavioral health professionals. Provides information on organizational characteristics and supervision barriers of 19 Nebraska organizations who received funding assistance to supervise provisionally licensed behavioral health providers. Discusses the importance of supporting supervisory capacity in rural areas.
Author(s): Jessica Buche, Caitlyn Wayment, Sydney Buckland, Marley Doyle, Melissa Tibbits
Citation: Journal of Rural Mental Health
Date: 2026
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Access To Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners In Kentucky
Report assessing access to sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) and SANE-ready hospitals in 2025 in Kentucky. Offers 10 recommendations to increase access through hospital certifications, training, resource and workforce sharing, compliance, and more. Discusses rural-specific concerns throughout.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Legislative Research Commission
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Report assessing access to sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) and SANE-ready hospitals in 2025 in Kentucky. Offers 10 recommendations to increase access through hospital certifications, training, resource and workforce sharing, compliance, and more. Discusses rural-specific concerns throughout.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Legislative Research Commission
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State of the U.S. Health Care Workforce, 2025
Offers demographic data on a variety of health professions from data sources between 2019 and 2024. Examines distribution, education and licensing, and projected shortages for the physician, nursing, and oral health fields. Describes challenges contributing to health workforce shortages. Highlights nonmetropolitan workforce shortages and state by state comparison of physician distribution.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Offers demographic data on a variety of health professions from data sources between 2019 and 2024. Examines distribution, education and licensing, and projected shortages for the physician, nursing, and oral health fields. Describes challenges contributing to health workforce shortages. Highlights nonmetropolitan workforce shortages and state by state comparison of physician distribution.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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State Telehealth Laws and Reimbursement Policies Report, Fall 2025
Provides an overview of state telehealth policies as of early September 2025. Covers Medicaid reimbursement, private payer laws, and professional requirements.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Infographic, State Summary Chart
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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Provides an overview of state telehealth policies as of early September 2025. Covers Medicaid reimbursement, private payer laws, and professional requirements.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Infographic, State Summary Chart
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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Comparing Disaster-Related Surge Staffing Practices Across Rural and Non-Rural Nursing Homes
Explores whether rural and non-rural nursing homes implemented different disaster-related staffing approaches. Analyzes data from 361 CMS-certified nursing homes that were exposed to the direct path of Hurricane Michael in 2018. Compares the change in pre- and post-disaster staffing across three dimensions of nursing home staffing: intensity, licensure composition, and employment composition.
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 73(12), 3829-3835
Date: 09/2025
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Explores whether rural and non-rural nursing homes implemented different disaster-related staffing approaches. Analyzes data from 361 CMS-certified nursing homes that were exposed to the direct path of Hurricane Michael in 2018. Compares the change in pre- and post-disaster staffing across three dimensions of nursing home staffing: intensity, licensure composition, and employment composition.
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 73(12), 3829-3835
Date: 09/2025
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State Of Nursing In Kansas Volume II: Workforce Trends, 2015-2025
Provides data on registered nurses (RNs), advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in Kansas from 2015 to 2025. Includes information on demographics, education, employment characteristics, and more. Provides county-level data on total licensure, number of licenses per 1,000 residents, and median wages of nurses.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Nursing Workforce Center
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Provides data on registered nurses (RNs), advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in Kansas from 2015 to 2025. Includes information on demographics, education, employment characteristics, and more. Provides county-level data on total licensure, number of licenses per 1,000 residents, and median wages of nurses.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Nursing Workforce Center
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