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The Rural Monitor
Articles by State: Missouri

For more information and resources, see the Missouri state guide.

RPHWTN Grantees Help Rural Healthcare Facilities Keep Local Talent

August 23, 2023
The FORHP Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network works to expand public health capacity in rural and tribal areas through job development, training, and placement. Three grantees — a career ladder program in Missouri, a respiratory therapy program in Texas, and a health IT program in Virginia — share stories of changing individuals' lives as well as keeping local talent in their healthcare facilities and communities.

Understanding the Rural Swing Bed: More than Just a Reimbursement Policy

August 11, 2021
"Swing bed" is that oft-heard phrase describing not a physical hospital bed, but post-acute care for the rural patient who is well enough to leave the acute care hospital but not well enough to be safe at home. In this 2-part story, experts and hospital administrators review the swing bed program's historical implementation and provide stories and examples of the value this over 40-year-old healthcare delivery and reimbursement model brings to patients, to the hospitals providing their care, and ultimately to rural communities.

History of the Swing Bed: A Look Through the Rural Rearview Mirror

August 11, 2021
The healthcare delivery model known as the swing bed program has allowed rural and Critical Access Hospitals to serve patients by keeping them in their rural communities for post-acute care. Reviewing the history of this program, experts describe early implementation and key program elements that have sustained its success for over 40 years.

Understanding Rural Health Departments: Do They Have Unique Accreditation Needs?

December 18, 2019
Governance, organizational size, and other factors may impact rural local health departments' ability to take on voluntary accreditation. In addition to a brief review of these issues, accreditation officials, professional societies, and researchers share how they are working together to better understand these challenges in order to foster equity for all public health departments desiring accreditation.

Taney County Health Department: Accreditation and Holding to a Higher Standard

December 18, 2019
Sharing how national and state voluntary accreditation helps their department meet the public health needs of their county's population — and its 8 million yearly visitors — Missouri's Taney County Health Department director Leslie Marshall also provides tips and ideas for other rural health departments thinking about accreditation.