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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Recruitment and retention of health professionals

Behavioral Health Workforce, 2023
Offers data on the supply and distribution of the behavioral health workforce and factors impacting that workforce. Includes projected workforce shortages to 2036 and compares rural and urban shortages. Discusses unmet needs for different populations, scope of practice, reimbursement rates, retention, and workforce wellbeing. Describes strategies to improve access to behavioral healthcare around integrated care, community health workers, and telehealth.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Primary Care Legislative Report to the Thirty-Third Legislature: State of Hawaii 2024
Annual legislative report covering Hawaii State Department of Health program activities and partnerships with Primary Health Care Partners (PHCP). Offers recommendations to address healthcare workforce issues, COVID-19 response, telehealth, and more.
Date: 12/2023
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Oklahoma Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program Overview
Webinar recording highlighting the work of the Oklahoma Area Health Education Center (AHEC) program in the area of workforce recruitment, retention, and development. Focuses on developing a healthcare profession pipeline, continuing education, and investing in current health profession students. The transcript is available in the video description.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Oklahoma State University Center for Rural Health
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A National Staffing Emergency in Rural Health Care
Podcast episode featuring a discussion with three rural hospital executives from Colorado, Wisconsin, and Michigan regarding workforce shortages in rural hospitals. Describes factors driving workforce challenges; recruitment, onboarding, and retention strategies; approaches to introducing healthcare careers to youth and the community; and the role of technology in meeting healthcare needs.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Housing Shortages Are Making Recruitment and Retention Even More Challenging for Some Rural Healthcare Providers
Provides an overview of rural housing shortages and affordability concerns. Explains the impact of housing issues on the rural healthcare workforce. Features a housing development program involving a Critical Access Hospital in Colorado and an Oregon hotel conversion that combines units for healthcare workers and supportive housing.
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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South Dakota's Regional Services Designation Ambulance System Study
Report offering analysis of stakeholder interviews and performance data of emergency medical service (EMS) in rural South Dakota. Discusses recruitment and retention of workforce, volunteerism, training, data analysis, telehealth, access, and more. Offers recommendations based on key findings and a timeline for implementation.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Healthcare Strategists, South Dakota Department of Health
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Identifying Strategies for Strengthening the Health Care Workforce in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Provides an overview of recent trends in the shortage of the nursing, primary care, and behavioral healthcare workforce in Virginia. Summarizes findings from an environmental scan and qualitative and quantitative data analysis regarding recruitment and retention strategies. Identifies interventions that could help the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (VHWDA) successfully address workforce shortages and which interventions should be prioritized based on desired policy outcomes. Presents a system dynamic model simulating the medium- to long-term supply and employment trends within Virginia's healthcare workforce under status quo conditions and under various policy interventions. Includes information on recruitment and retention in rural areas throughout.
Additional links: Annex, Research Brief: Recommendations for Strengthening the Health Care Workforce in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Author(s): Megan Andrew, Brian Briscombe, Raffaele Vardavas, et al.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Adapting to the New Workforce Environment: Hannibal Regional Healthcare System Outreach
Profiles Hannibal Regional Healthcare System (HRHS) in Hannibal, Missouri, which is addressing workforce challenges by working with area schools, colleges, and universities to increase opportunities for diverse occupations through internships, residencies, training, and curriculum.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Health is Primary: Charting a Path to Equity and Sustainability
Examines factors driving the downward trends in primary care, including fewer clinicians practicing primary care, fewer available appointments, lower spending on primary care, and fewer adults reporting that they have a usual source of primary care. Features a literature review, supply and demand analysis, and recommendations for potential solutions. Mentions rural throughout.
Additional links: Slide Presentation
Author(s): Alison Huffstetler, Ann Greiner, Anam Siddiqi, et al.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Primary Care Collaborative, Robert Graham Center
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New Mexico Health Care Workforce Committee: 2023 Annual Report
Provides detailed data at the county level, comparing New Mexico's healthcare workforce to national benchmarks. Discusses rural and frontier area shortages, health workforce migration trends, potential solutions for solving the state's workforce issues (including in rural areas), and updates on previous recommendations. Includes a special focus on the behavioral health workforce, and appendices include gap analyses of New Mexico healthcare professions by county.
Date: 10/2023
Sponsoring organization: University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
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