Announcements
Save the Date for IRHA Conference: Rural Resilience: The Whole Picture
Monday, October 28, 2024
Registration and details still to come.
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Registration Now Open: NRHA’s Rural Health Clinic and Critical Access Hospital conferencesSeptember 24-27, 2024, in Kansas City, MO
These conferences offer more than 40 educational and networking opportunities designed for clinic and hospital professionals and board members serving rural America. |
Rural Health Fellows Leadership ProgramEach year, NRHA selects 10 to 15 highly motivated individuals who have proven their dedication to improving the health of rural Americans through their educational or professional experience with yearlong, intensive training that develops leaders who can articulate a clear and compelling vision for rural America.
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Registration Now Open: 2024 Iowa Community Health ConferenceOctober 16 - 18, 2024
Registration for the October 2024 Iowa Community Health Conference is now open! Register today through August 1 to receive the early bird discount rate and to secure your spot at Iowa's premier conference on community health and rural healthcare.
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New Funding: CMS Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model
Apply by September 20, 2024
The TMaH Model’s primary focus is improving health outcomes for mothers and their infants who are enrolled in Medicaid and Childrens’ Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Under TMaH, selected state Medicaid agencies will receive targeted technical support to develop a whole-person approach to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care.
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NOFO Announcement: Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) ProgramHRSA launched a new Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program funding opportunity. The NOFO has two components: one to support residency slots starting in Academic Year 2024-2025 and another to support residency slots starting in Academic Year 2025-2026. The Academic Year 2024-2025 component (HRSA-25-091): Application deadline is September 5, 2024 The Academic Year 2025-2026 component (HRSA-25-077): Application deadline is September 20, 2024 More Information |
Direct Care: A Chorus of Compassion
October 7, 2024
Your participation in this conference can be key to rebuilding your passion and to avoiding falling flat from burnout. You will experience programs for self-care, professional and skill development, mental health, and networking with the ensemble of direct care workers and family caregivers in attendance. The day will crescendo in fun and motivation and send you away feeling harmonious and in unison. |
News
Rural hospitals are vulnerable to increasing cyberattacks targeting healthcare facilities.
The Daily Yonder explores NRHA’s policy paper examining cybersecurity and threats and found that cyberattacks at healthcare facilities have increased more than 125% since last year, with rural hospitals being especially vulnerable. Rural hospitals are hit hard in the area of healthcare workforce shortages, including IT departments that are often under-trained and understaffed, therefore making them extremely vulnerable to deal with these cyberattacks.
Article
Article
As a baby bust hits rural areas, hospital labor and delivery wards are closing downAt least 41 Iowa hospitals have shuttered their labor and delivery units since 2000. Those facilities, representing about a third of Iowa hospitals, are located mostly in rural areas where birth numbers have plummeted. In some Iowa counties, annual numbers of births have fallen by three-quarters since the height of the baby boom in the 1950s and '60s, when many rural hospitals were built or expanded, state and federal records show. Article |
Maternity care in rural areas is in crisis. Can more doulas help?The presence of a doula, along with regular nursing care, is associated with improved labor and delivery outcomes, reduced stress and higher rates of patient satisfaction, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Article |
ASTHO on State Policies to Bolster Rural Health Care WorkforceThe Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) explains policy and programs from HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce that state-level policymakers can use to address shortages in rural areas. Article |
UnityPoint Receives Maternal Health Excellence GrantUnityPoint Health-Grinnell Regional Medical Center was awarded the Center of Excellence Grant by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. This grant operates with the goal of sustaining access to high quality obstetric services for rural populations. Article |
HHS to Fund New US Rural Medical Residency ProgramsMore than $11 million will go toward launching residency programs in rural communities throughout the country, the US Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement announcing the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) investment. Currently, only about 2% of medical residency training happens in rural areas. Article |
703 hospitals at risk of closure, state by stateMore than 700 rural U.S. hospitals are at risk of closure due to financial problems, with more than half of those hospitals at immediate risk of closure. Article |
Maternity Care in Rural Areas Is in Crisis. Can More Doulas Help?Maternity Care in Rural Areas Is in Crisis. Can More Doulas Help? Article |
Rural delivery units in Iowa are closing amid staffing, financial strugglesA report by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform found that over half of rural U.S. hospitals don't offer labor and delivery services. In Iowa, 62% don't have the services as of July 2024. Article |
Iowa HHS announces new behavioral health district mapThe Iowa Department of Health and Human Services has announced a new behavioral health service district map, which defines seven geographic service and planning areas effective Tuesday, July 1, 2025. The district map was created using a data-driven approach to ensure resources are allocated effectively to support Iowa's behavioral health needs. Article |
MercyOne Primghar Medical Center to close, other O’Brien County facilities consolidatingAccording to a Friday release from MercyOne, the family medicines in Paullina and Sutherland will be consolidated with MercyOne’s Primghar Family Medicine combining all facilities’ services. The release said the consolidation will take place by the end of September. As part of the consolidation, the Paullina and Sutherland locations will be closing, a spokesperson told KCAU 9. MercyOne Primghar Medical Center will also be closing at the end of September. Article |
Updated list of HPSA designations published.On Monday, HRSA published notice of its updated list of primary care, mental health, and dental health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) as of April 15, 2024. The updated lists is available here. Any HPSAs listed as "proposed for withdrawal" will remain in that status until the lists are finalized and another notice is published on or by November 1, 2024 Article |
Tools & Resources
New Mental Health Training Kit for Michigan libraries
The Michigan Mental Health Training Kit is a new resource designed to support librarians, library workers, and front-line library staff across Michigan. Its goal is to increase their confidence in responding to the mental health needs of library visitors by enhancing their understanding of both crisis and non-crisis mental health situations.
Fact Sheets
Fact Sheets
A new go-to resource hub for rural health care executivesNRHA is excited to announce the launch of NRHASC.com, a new platform designed to provide rural health care executives with essential, rural-proven resources for specific needs. Explore NRHASC.com to discover essential tools and insights to enhance your rural health care organization. Resource |
Scholarships, Loans, and Loan Repayment for Rural Health ProfessionsThe rising cost of education directly impacts students’ ability to pursue a healthcare degree, compounding the rural health workforce shortage. To help address this, many federal and state programs assist students and new healthcare professionals with the burden of cost. This recently updated topic guide provides an overview of the types of financial aid programs that can benefit health professions students, healthcare professionals, and healthcare facilities learning, working, and serving in rural areas. Topic Guide |
Rural-Urban Differences in Midwifery Care During Childbirth in the U.S.This infographic provides a snapshot of rural-urban differences in midwife-attended births, including changes over time as access to rural obstetric care declined and severe maternal morbidity and mortality rose across the United States. Infographic |
New State Scorecard Reveals Wide Disparities in Women’s Health and Reproductive CareA new Commonwealth Fund scorecard comparing state health system performance on women’s health and reproductive care reveals significant disparities across the U.S. In particular, the researchers find wide gaps between geographic regions and between racial and ethnic groups in deaths among women of reproductive age and in access to essential health services. Scorecard |
Publications
Loss of Hospital-Based Obstetric Services in Rural Counties in the United States, 2010-2022 In the US, access to maternity care in rural counties continues to decline. This infographic from the FORHP-funded University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center updates their 2017 analysis on hospital-based obstetric services in rural counties, showing that rural counties with no hospital-based obstetric services increased from 54% of rural counties in 2014 to almost 59% in 2022.
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Understanding the Rise of Ransomware Attacks on Rural HospitalsHospitals face a growing threat from ransomware attacks that are designed to disrupt care delivery and may consequently threaten patient outcomes and hospital finances. This policy brief presents findings from a novel database of hospital ransomware attacks, focusing on the frequency and characteristics of ransomware attacks on rural hospitals.
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International Medical Graduates and the Physician WorkforcePhysician shortages and the geographic maldistribution of general and specialist physicians impair health care delivery and worsen health inequity in the US. International medical graduates (IMGs) represent a potential solution given their ready supply.
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Addressing the Nurse Retention Crisis—Leveraging Policies Supported by EvidenceUsing survey data from registered nurses who participated in the Michigan Nurses’ Study, Friese and colleagues1 evaluated patterns in the employment plans of nurses in 2022 and 2023, providing good news for employers and nurses. Declines were documented in the number of nurses intending to leave their current position and reducing their clinical hours. Nurses reported faring better in 2023 relative to 2022, experiencing less burnout, less job dissatisfaction, fewer experiences of workplace violence, fewer instances of understaffing during a recent shift, and less frequent mandatory overtime.
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Inspiring rural youth to consider healthcare careers through an interprofessional healthcare traveling roadshow
This paper will share their experience from 15 years of running this initiative, for those hoping to implement similar programs in other areas of the world.
New Report Concludes that Achieving Value in Rural Areas May Require Increased Spending. The Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC), an independent federal advisory committee, has transmitted a Report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This report compiles information from previous payment model proposals PTAC reviewed, literature addressing the topic, and input received during a rural-focused meeting last year. They conclude that while value-based care often focuses on improving quality while reducing spending, achieving value in rural areas may require increasing spending.
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Loss of Hospital-Based Obstetric Services in Rural Counties in the United States, 2010-2022 In the US, access to maternity care in rural counties continues to decline. This infographic from the FORHP-funded University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center updates their 2017 analysis on hospital-based obstetric services in rural counties, showing that rural counties with no hospital-based obstetric services increased from 54% of rural counties in 2014 to almost 59% in 2022.
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The Rewards of Working as Rural DocsWhile working in a rural area comes with many challenges, many health care professionals are convinced that the benefits of being part of a small community, living among those you serve, and being appreciated for making the choice to play a vital role in their lives outweigh the drawbacks. Additionally, Rural Health Information Hub looks at how rural community health worker programs are proving their value and finding sustainability.
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Rural Community Health Worker Programs: Proving Value and Finding SustainabilityFor decades, community health workers (CHWs) provided their services outside usual healthcare reimbursement models. In recent years, with research supporting CHWs as professionals effectively assisting patients with navigating health-related social determinants, federal and private payers are exploring reimbursement mechanisms. Four rural healthcare organizations share both the impact and the continued sustainability challenges and successes of their CHW programs.
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Webinars and Podcasts
How a Rural Health System Continues to Provide Essential Obstetric Services
In this conversation, Julie Petersen, CEO of Kittitas Valley Healthcare, discusses how her organization kept its promise to preserve essential obstetric services for women of all ages.
Why rural healthcare matters even if you live in urban areas
Imagine having to drive tens of miles just to get to your closest hospital. That’s the reality for some rural populations. Reset checks in with rural health leaders in Illinois to understand how these barriers create real health consequences for people and what needs to change.
Podcast
Podcast
