IOWA RURAL HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE CONNECTION
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Iowa Rural Healthcare Workforce Connection

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Iowa Rural Healthcare Workforce Connection Listserv

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Upcoming Events

Information for Current & Future Health Professionals

Our New York Health Careers website is a robust resource for individuals interested in a career in healthcare—whether they are just starting out or already working in healthcare and looking to advance or change professions. Visit our enhanced website to find:
Visit our enhanced website to find:
Detailed Information on Over 60 Health Professions 
  • Overview and salary
  • Educational and licensure requirements
  • Educational programs in New York
Guidance on Factors to Consider
  • Admission requirements
  • Accreditation
  • Educational costs
  • Length and style of study
  • Graduation and work requirements
Helpful Resources 
  • Holland Code matching tool
  • Glossary of educational terms
  • Health workforce reports
  • How to address stress and burnout
  • Links to career advisement and tuition reimbursement information 
Website

Save the Date! 2025 Iowa Rural Health Association's (IRHA) Annual Conference

IRHA is thrilled to announce their Annual Conference will be held on National Rural Health Day this year. On Thursday, November 20, 2025, join healthcare professionals, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders tackle the unique challenges and opportunities in rural health care throughout Iowa. 
Stay tuned for registration details and agenda highlights!

Rural Health Fellows Leadership Program Applications Open

Application deadline: Thursday, September 11, 2025
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National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is now accepting applications for the 2026 Rural Health Fellows Leadership Program. NRHA’s Rural Health Fellows is a yearlong training initiative designed to develop a diverse, professional network of rural health leaders from across the country. Each year, NRHA selects 15 to 20 individuals who have demonstrated a dedication to improving rural health through their professional or community experience.

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Learn More and Apply Now

News 

Rural Patients Face Tough Choices When Their Hospitals Stop Delivering Babies

More than 100 rural hospitals nationwide have shut down birthing units since 2021, disproportionately affecting low-income and Native American patients and leading to increased health risks, financial burdens, and emotional distress for families.​ This article demonstrates the systemic decline in rural obstetric care and the long-term health and community consequences of these closures. 
Article

Tools & Resources

Healthcare Leadership Trends in 2025: Must-Know Leadership Trends Healthcare Decision Makers Can't Ignore

B.E. Smith Leadership Solutions, an AMN Healthcare company, is a leading provider of healthcare interim leadership, executive search and academic leadership services. Each year for the past decade, the company has surveyed executives to glean timely insights on pressing issues and influential forces in leadership talent management. Healthcare Leadership Trends for 2025 presents findings on recruitment, retention, engagement, and development along with an opening discussion of the financial and operational context in which the leadership issues play out.
Resource

Understanding the Social Vulnerability Index: A Key Tool for Rural Health

The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), developed by the CDC, identifies communities most at risk during emergencies due to social and economic factors. It measures 15 factors across four areas: socioeconomic status, household composition and disability, minority status and language, and housing and transportation. For rural Iowa, the SVI is especially valuable. Our communities often face higher poverty rates, limited healthcare access, and transportation challenges. The SVI helps rural health leaders pinpoint vulnerable populations to better allocate resources, plan emergency responses, and advance health equity.
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Publications

Medicaid Plays A Key Role for Maternal and Infant Health in Rural Communities

This paper examines the role of Medicaid in covering women of childbearing age (19 through 44 years old) living in small towns and rural areas. ​
Publication 2025

The Rural Emergency Hospital Model: Year Two Progress Report

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) released a report on rural emergency hospitals and hosted a related discussion, Keeping Care Local: Federal Policies to Support Rural Hospitals, with NRHA, the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals, the North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, and KFF. The webinar focused on preserving access to rural hospital care and strengthening long-term stability in underserved communities. They also explored how federal policy can better support rural care delivery. 
Please find the recording of this event here.
Publication 2024

​​Bipartisan Policy Center April 2025 Report

The Bipartisan Policy Center's (BPC) April 2025 report, Sustaining Rural Hospital Access: Adjustments to Medicare Rural Hospital Designations, presents a set of actionable policy recommendations to preserve rural hospitals that are vital to 60 million Americans living in rural communities. ​
Publication 2025

Training a rural oral health workforce: Effects of rural background on dentist practice choice

This study compares access to, and services offered by, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) in rural and urban communities. The increasing numbers of CCBHCs in rural communities combined with their range of offered services holds promise towards increasing the availability of care for rural communities within an integrated model.
Publication

Job Assessments and the Anticipated Retention of Behavioral Health Clinicians Working in US Health Professional Shortage Areas

A shortage of behavioral health clinicians is limiting access to mental health care across the United States, particularly in areas designated as Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (mHPSAs). Retaining clinicians in these high-need areas is essential to improving access. This article examines behavioral health clinicians’ assessments of various job and workplace factors associated with their intention to remain in mHPSA practices.
Publication 2025

Improving Access to Maternity Care in Iowa's Healthcare Deserts

The U.S. has the highest maternal death rate among high-income countries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And with a surge of labor-and-delivery unit closures across the country, it is getting even harder for women to access high-quality maternity care- particularly in rural areas where these closures are most prevalent. In Iowa, for instance, there are 3.3 ob-gyns per 10,000 women of reproductive age. This is compared to 4.5 ob-gyns for the same number of women in the U.S.
Publication 2025

Physician Training in Rural and Health Center Settings More Than Doubled, 2008–24

This paper examines the growth of graduate medical education programs in rural areas and federally qualified health centers (FQHC) between academic years 2008–09 and 2023–24. 
Publication 2025

A Qualitative Review of Community Health Workers’ Training, Supervision, and Service Delivery Needs

Community Health Workers (CHW) are part of an emerging workforce in the field of mental health, but few studies have examined their training, supervision, and service delivery needs in the United States.
Publication 2025

A Holistic and Sustainable Approach to Public Health Staffing and Workforce Development​

Public health in the United States faces a continuous cycle of “neglect, panic, repeat.” As seen with 9/11, H1N1, and COVID-19, public health emergencies create a flurry of attention and resources, but once the crisis passes, focus quickly shifts to other matters until the next emergency, when the cycle repeats.
Publication 2025

Rural Populations are Shifting Older

The Economic Research Service (ERS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports on recent data showing that the number of rural people of working age (between 15 and 64 years old) has fallen in recent years, dropping to 28 million in 2023 from more than 30 million in 2010.  At the same time, the number of rural residents aged 65 and over grew from 7.4 million in 2010 to 9.7 million in 2023.
Publication 2025

Composition of the Public Health Workforce: Distribution, Training, and Tenure​

Local health departments play a critical role in promoting the overall health and well-being of communities across the country, and influxes of response-related funding and attention make it challenging to build and sustain a consistent and well-trained public health workforce.

This article describes the composition of the local public health workforce (including staffing levels, demographic characteristics, tenure, and training in public health) at the local, agency-level.
Publication 2025

Why Are Rural Areas Losing Independent Healthcare Providers?
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Rural areas have lost 2,500 independent physicians during a five-year period from 2019 to 2024. At the same time, the number of physician-owned practices in rural areas dropped by 3,300. According to Intelliworx, there are 3 reasons why rural areas are losing independent providers. Read the article to find out more.
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Publication 2025
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The Rural Health Workforce Connection (RHWC) is supported by the Iowa Health and Human Services. The RHWC website provides links to other websites only for the convenience of its users. RHWC is not responsible for the availability or content of these external sites, nor does RHWC endorse, warrant, or guarantee the products, services, or information described or offered at these other websites.
  • Loan Repayment & Scholarships
    • Individual Loan Repayment and Scholarship Programs
    • International Physician Recruitment Programs
    • School Administered Loan Repayment Programs
  • Publications
  • Resources
  • Jobs & Apprenticeships