Rural Healthcare Workforce resources via the Rural Health Information Hub

Event: 2026 HRSA Nursing Workforce Funding Opportunities Webinar

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:54:57 -0500

-- Health Resources and Services Administration

Resource: A Roadmap for Building and Implementing a Comprehensive State Graduate Medical Education Strategy: Actionable Steps to Align Investments with Workforce Needs

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:44:25 -0500

Offers an evidence-based framework that organizes a graduate medical education (GME) growth strategy into 5 stages. Can be used as part of federal Rural Health Transformation Program activities to strengthen workforce recruitment and retention and to improve healthcare access in rural areas. Table 1 shows state GME models and technical assistance initiatives. -- Milbank Memorial Fund

News: Google, J&J Launch $10M AI Training for Rural Clinics

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:09:12 -0500

Google.org and the Johnson & Johnson Foundation are investing $10 million into training rural healthcare workers to use AI-powered tools. The initiative is intended to automate scheduling, streamline patient documentation, and make clinic operations more efficient, in facilities that are struggling with workforce shortages and administrative overload.

News: HRSA Announces More Than $135 Million to Expand Nutrition Services and Strengthen Rural Health Workforce

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:46:32 -0500

Announces Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) funding for nutrition service expansion into primary care settings and for rural residency programs for high-need specialties to address rural workforce shortages.

News: These Kansas Elementary Students Dissect Frogs — And It Could Help Fight a Doctor Shortage

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:30:34 -0500

Describes a spring break camp for Kansas elementary students aiming to reduce rural healthcare workforce shortages by introducing rural students to healthcare careers.

Resource: Workplace Violence Prevention: Impacting Providers and Patients, with Kathy Griffis

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:17:57 -0500

An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Kathy Griffis, Chief Operating Officer of Titus Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant, Texas. Focuses on her facility's recent efforts to reduce violence and ensure safe healthcare environments for their staff and patients. Part 3 in a 3-part series from the December 2025 Health Innovation Potluck held in Hutchinson, Kansas. -- Rural Health Information Hub

Event: Workforce Solutions Jam: Extending the Behavioral Health Workforce - Alaska's Behavioral Health Aide Model

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:35:16 -0500

-- National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Resource: Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel — United States, 2024–25 Respiratory Virus Season

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:14:06 -0500

Reports on influenza and COVID-19 vaccination coverage during the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season among healthcare personnel working in hospitals, ambulatory care, long-term care/home health, and other clinical settings. Includes data by workplace location for rural and urban areas. -- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Resource: Strengthening the Rural Health Workforce

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:56:53 -0500

Discusses legislation passed by state legislatures to address rural healthcare workforce challenges. Describes policies related to measuring the health workforce, encouraging rural practice, enhancing access to specialty care, and retaining rural healthcare professionals. -- National Conference of State Legislatures

News: Blackburn, Kustoff Introduce Rural Health Agenda to Ease Financial Strain for Rural Hospitals, Expand Access to Urgent Care, and Strengthen Recruiting

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 09:52:31 -0500

Highlights the Rural Health Agenda, a bipartisan and bicameral group of proposed legislation aiming to support rural hospitals through increased Medicare reimbursement, introduce new funding to promote innovation in rural emergency healthcare, and incentivize rural communities for healthcare workers through extended loan repayment programs.

Resource: Dentist Workforce and Dental Care Utilization in the Rural and Urban U.S.

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:09:13 -0500

Describes the supply of general and specialist dentists in rural and urban counties in 2022. Explores dental care utilization and outcomes in 2019 by degree of rurality and patient characteristics. Discusses the implication of these findings on policies and interventions related to the supply of dentists in rural areas. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Event: 2026 USET Public Health Workforce Development Workshop

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:14:38 -0500

Atmore AL
April 27, 2026

News: End of an Era: Who Will Care for Arivaca When Its Only Doctor Retires?

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:10:58 -0500

Profiles a rural Arizona doctor preparing for retirement. Describes the impact on a rural community when the only doctor stops practicing, discussing health professional shortage areas, recruitment challenges, and distance to healthcare.

Resource: Examining Rural Population Characteristics and Access to Care in 2022: A Study of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs)

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:01:39 -0500

Chartbook examines the characteristics of populations living within Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) across the U.S. Explores geographic, population, and facility-based HPSAs in Primary Care and Dental and Mental Health. Highlights population-to-provider ratios, travel time and distance, and several other category-specific measurements for each HPSA. -- ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Allied Health Workforce: Supporting Rural Providers, with Chris Laman

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:26:56 -0500

An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Chris Laman, Vice President of Strategy at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, Oregon. Focuses on the hospital's work developing and maintaining the rural allied health workforce. Part 2 in a 3-part series from the December 2025 Health Innovation Potluck held in Hutchinson, Kansas. -- Rural Health Information Hub

Resource: The Rural Healthcare Landscape Survey: A Behavioral Health Needs Assessment

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 14:03:48 -0500

Analyzes survey data from 437 behavioral health professionals to identify areas of opportunity for support and increasing access to behavioral healthcare providers and patients in rural areas. Data analyzed include survey participant demographics, rurality of clients and providers, amount of provider consultations, and professional well-being. Discusses areas of future research related to provider training, distribution of providers, burnout, and provider demographics.

Resource: 'Our Peers Can Be The Best Teachers': Rural Hospitals Learn From One Another at Innovation Potluck

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:29:53 -0500

Highlights the second annual Rural Workforce Innovation Potluck, which brought together healthcare professionals from around the country to share experiences in rural recruitment, retention, and bridging workforce gaps. -- Rural Health Information Hub

Resource: Assessing and Sustaining Competence in Rural Practice

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 13:41:18 -0500

Opinion piece exploring competency-based approaches to physician education and training. Examines the concept of competence in terms of performance at the time of graduation and habit in life.

Resource: The Impact of Nurse Practitioner Full Practice Authority on Pediatric Care Experiences: A National Secondary Data Analysis

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:48:20 -0500

Examines the impact of full practice authority (FPA) for pediatric nurse practitioners (NPs) on pediatric primary healthcare access. Utilizes 2010–2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data to analyze policy changes related to FPA implementation according to patient access, experiences, and rurality.

Event: Supporting the Frontline: Mental Health Screening for Healthcare Workers in Rural Communities

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 13:58:16 -0600

Resource: Rural-Serving Primary Care Practitioners' and Cardiologists' Care Adaptations for Cardiovascular Services: A Qualitative Analysis

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 10:58:16 -0600

Examines the cardiovascular services provided by rural-serving primary care practitioners and cardiologists. Utilizes interview feedback from 20 healthcare professionals and discusses rural cardiovascular services as related to interprofessional collaboration, expanded scope of practice, altered care, care adaptations, and more.

Resource: Scope of Practice Policy

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 09:53:59 -0600

Website designed to provide state policymakers with information on scope of practice topics related to nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dental hygienists, dental therapists, and behavioral health providers. Includes interactive state policy maps and a legislation database. -- Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, National Conference of State Legislatures

Resource: AACOM 2025 Osteopathic Medical Education Impact Report

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:48:52 -0600

Assesses how osteopathic colleges contribute to the physician workforce, focusing on geographic distribution and medical specialties of alumni. Evaluates the extent to which graduates serve rural and underserved areas, and fill specialty needs. Mentions rural throughout. -- American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine

Resource: Physician and Practice Characteristics Associated with Family Physician Panel Size

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 15:29:36 -0600

Results of a study investigating factors associated with variation in panel size, a group of patients assigned to one specific physician or clinical team, from 2017-2023. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by metro and nonmetro areas.

Resource: Rural Practice Made Attractive: A Scoping Review of Rural Primary Care Physician Recruitment and Retention Incentives

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 09:26:34 -0600

Offers a scoping review on the effectiveness of 17 workforce development programs aiming to retain rural primary care physicians. Discusses the lack of systematically collected retention data and the impact on effective evaluation of these programs.

Resource: Development and Implementation of the Indian Health Service Expanded Function Dental Assistant-1 (EFDA-1) Occupation

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 08:22:58 -0600

Report describing the Expanded Function Dental Assistant-1 (EFDA-1) role within the Indian Health Service. Includes information about its implementation, its importance in rural and underserved areas, and its place in Washington's dental workforce and related career pathways. -- UW Center for Health Workforce Studies

Event: 2026 Annual Association of Clinicians for the Underserved Conference

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 13:17:47 -0600

Washington DC
July 26, 2026 -- Association of Clinicians for the Underserved

Resource: Strengthening Rural Health Care: A Scoping Review of Nurse Recruitment and Retention Strategies

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 11:08:19 -0600

Results of a review identifying recruitment and retention programs for nurses in rural areas, including strategy characteristics and location. Features statistics and a county-level map showing locations of programs and Primary Care Heath Professional Shortage Areas.

Event: 2026 Annual 3RNET Conference

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 08:27:18 -0600

Raleigh NC
August 24, 2026 -- 3RNET

Resource: State of the Behavioral Health Workforce, 2025

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:35:15 -0600

Offers demographic and occupational data on the behavioral health workforce including current and projected shortages. Data sources range from 2022 through 2024. Offers comparisons of shortages between rural and urban counties. Discusses challenges driving workforce shortages. -- Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis