Announcements

Apply to National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program

The FY 2025 NHSC Loan Repayment Program Application is open through Thursday, May 1, 2025. Start your application
  • If you do not have one, create a My BHW account.
  • If you have a My BHW account, once logged in select NHSC Loan Repayment Program.
  • The application includes screening questions to assist applicants in determining the program for which they are eligible to apply.

National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program​

Application closes May 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
 Medical, dental, and nursing students interested in practicing in high-need communities are eligible to receive payment for tuition, fees and other educational costs as well as a stipend for living costs. After completion of their health professions program and any approved postgraduate training, providers serve at least two years at NHSC-approved sites in high-need rural, urban, and tribal communities. Funding is available for up to four years.
More Information

HRSA Nurse Corps Scholarship Program

Applications due April 24. 
​Eligible nursing students can apply for scholarships that cover tuition, fees, and other educational costs in exchange for a minimum two-year, full-time service commitment (or part-time equivalent) at an eligible health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses. Application closes April 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
More Information

Apply to the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program

Applications due April 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
​Start your application
  • If you do not have one, create a My BHW account.
  • If you have a My BHW account, once logged in select Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program.
  • The application includes screening questions to assist applicants in determining the program for which they are eligible to apply.

Healthcare Workforce Town Hall ​

April 8, 2025
Session One: 9:00 - 10:30 am
Session Two: 12:00-1:30 pm

Des Moines Central Public Library
1000 Grand Ave,
Des Moines, IA 50309

The Iowa Medical Society along with partner organizations are working together to assess and evaluate the current landscape and future of the healthcare workforce in Iowa. From these meetings, the statewide action plan will evolve to address current workforce challenges and opportunities.
We want to hear from YOU! We want to hear from people within communities about their communities.
Register
Handout

FIND Project: Dental Education Loan Repayment

The Fulfilling Iowa's Need for Dentists (FIND) Project is a state and local collaboration to recruit and retain dentists in private practice settings in rural, underserved areas in Iowa. The project includes dental education debt repayment through the Delta Dental of Iowa (DDIA) loan repayment program. Loan repayment includes two levels of funding based on county designation. Note: Every Iowa county is eligible for the program; however, preference will be given to dentists in a high-priority or priority county. 
  • Up to $200,000 over a 5-year period for a dentist serving in a high-priority county
  • Up to $125,000 over a 5-year period for a dentist serving in a priority or non-designated county
In return for the loan repayment award, the selected dentist agrees to allocate 35% of patient visits to underserved populations, including a minimum of 15% Medicaid-insured patients.
More Information

Healthcare Workforce Summit ​

May 14, 2025 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (CDT)
Iowa Hospital Association
100 Grand Avenue, Suite 100
Des Moines, IA 50309
The Iowa Healthcare Workforce Summit will bring together key stakeholders in Iowa's healthcare field for a collaborative, one-day event aimed at developing actionable solutions to address the healthcare workforce shortage. Participants will leave with concrete strategies for their organizations and a shared consensus on necessary actions to tackle the issue. A report showing the voted top overarching themes will be provided after the event.
​Register
Handout

Virtual Event: Data Driven Decisions ​

April 4, 2025, from 2:00 to 3:00 P.M.
The healthcare workforce is top of mind for many Iowans and particularly the health care workers providing the care and the older Iowans, people with disabilities, and family caregivers who rely on them. Direct care workforce issues impact the business community, health and long-term care, home and community-based employers, elected officials, educators, and others. Ryan will share information about workforce demand, shortages, and job opportunities, as well as wage and other vital Iowa-specific workforce data for various occupations including direct care workers, nurses, and others as time permits.
Register
Handout

Rural Communities Opioid Response Program

Apply by April 14, 2025
The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Pathways (RCORP-Pathways) is a new initiative designed to tackle behavioral health care challenges amongst rural youth while building career pathways in the behavioral health workforce. The initiative will support community networks in developing and expanding opportunities for youth in the behavioral health care field through engagement and training. Up to 12 awards will be made and recipients can receive up to $400,000 per year over a three-year period of performance. 
Funding Opportunity

Two Iowa dentists are the 2025 recipients of educational loan repayment awards from the Fulfilling Iowa’s Need for Dentists (FIND) project, a collaborative public-private partnership.​

The 2025 FIND award recipients include:
  • Dr. David Lyle, East Des Moines Dental, Des Moines – Dr. Lyle is from Des Moines and completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Iowa. After receiving his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 2019, he joined his dad’s practice as an associate. In July 2021, he became the sole owner of East Des Moines Dental.
  • Dr. Lauren Schau, Wildflower Kids Dentistry, Dubuque – Dr. Schau graduated from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics in 2016. After completing a General Practice Residency in Minnesota 2017, she worked in private practice in New Mexico and at Primary Health Care in Marshalltown.
    In 2023, she joined an existing children’s practice and became the sole owner in
    2024, renaming it Wildflower Kids Dentistry.
Press Release

Free Public Health Training Available
​

The Public Health Training for Community Health Workers series provides a comprehensive introduction to public health, covering its core functions and essential services. Designed for CHWs and other front-line health workers, this training equips you with essential public health knowledge and the resources and programs available to support individuals and communities.
This free online training is self-paced, allowing you to complete the modules on your schedule. Upon finishing all the modules, you will receive a certificate acknowledging your completion of the Public Health Training for CHWs.
Application

2025 Nursing Innovation Funds Request for Proposals

To help strengthen the nursing workforce, AARP and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN Critical Care) have issued an RFP seeking innovative and replicable solutions to create and sustain healthy work environments and improve recruitment and retention rates of registered nurses. Awards of up to $20,000 each will be provided for selected projects that can be completed in one year. Proposals are due no later than 10 pm ET on Friday, April 4, 2025. 
More Information

CDC Updates Urban-Rural Classification for Counties

Last week, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the new NCHS Urban-Rural Classification Scheme for Counties. For this update, the NCHS used delineations of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas from the Office of Management and Budget as well as estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau to classify counties and county equivalents into six categories – four metropolitan and two nonmetropolitan. This scheme allows researchers, policy makers, and others to study the health of U.S. residents according to how urban or rural their county is.
Announcement

News 

Improving rural health through ‘wealth capital’​

In early 2024, Manchester, along with the Iowa-Missouri border community of Van Buren County, was selected from 10 applicant communities to participate in the program that coalition members say aims to improve the health and vitality of rural communities by addressing opportunities in their eight categories or “capital” areas. 
The coalition’s six member organizations were already working in different areas of community health. The members are the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative, the Iowa Rural Development Council, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the Institute for Decision Making at the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Iowa College of Public Health and Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Read the article to learn more about this program.
Publication

Lakes Regional Healthcare Recognized as a 2025 Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital

Lakes Regional Healthcare has been named among the Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals in the United States for the seventh year in a row by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. The center analyzes rural hospitals through the Hospital Strength INDEX®, the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance in the United States. Leveraging publicly available data, the INDEX is utilized nationwide by rural hospitals, health systems and rural affiliates, hospital associations and state offices of rural health across the country to measure and monitor performance across a variety of areas impacting hospital operations and finance.
Article

Floyd Valley Recognized as a 2025 Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital​

Floyd Valley Healthcare has been named among the 2025 Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. Chartis’ annual Top 100 award program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®. FVH also was on the top 100 list released in February 2024.
Article

Fewer clinicians entering primary care: 5 report card findings​

Investments in primary care are declining, and fewer clinicians are entering the field at a time when chronic disease rates are rising, according to a new report from researchers at the American Academy of Family Physicians. 
Article

Van Diest Medical Center has been recognized as a 2025 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital​

VDMC is one of only 11 hospitals in the state of Iowa to achieve this designation. Nationwide, there are 1,371 critical access hospitals. 
Article

Iowa State launches new bachelor’s degree in integrated health sciences to address growing demand for health care professionals​

An innovative new degree at Iowa State University will prepare students for health care professions through a unique blend of coursework. The Iowa Board of Regents approved the Iowa State undergraduate degree – Bachelor of Science in integrated health sciences – on Feb. 28. The program is the first undergraduate degree in Iowa to offer a fully integrated, interdisciplinary approach to health sciences. Unlike traditional pre-health majors, the comprehensive program focuses on health and wellness from multiple angles, with classes in life sciences, behavior and social sciences, data sciences, and the humanities. 
Article

Tools & Resources

New State Fact Sheets Available​

Data is a powerful advocacy tool. That’s why NRHA created state fact sheets and state rural coverage fact sheets for NRHA members to share with their elected officials. State fact sheets include the number of rural providers in each state, health professional shortage area data, and hospital vulnerability information. New this year are state rural coverage fact sheets, which provide nationwide and state-specific statistics on enrollment in Medicaid, the Marketplace, and Medicare Advantage. Please find state fact sheets here and state coverage fact sheets here.
2024
2025

USDA Fact Sheets​

The USDA, ERS State Fact Sheets provide information on population, income, poverty, food security, education, employment/unemployment, farm characteristics, farm financial indicators, top commodities, and agricultural exports. Data are available for all States, and for metro/nonmetro breakouts within States (and for Puerto Rico if applicable).
Article

Running List of Rural Hospital Closures since January 2005

Each year, we compile a list of operating U.S. Hospitals as a downloadable resource to the public. The spreadsheet includes acute care hospitals (Critical Access, Cancer, Indian Health Service, Medicare-Dependent, Rural Referral Center, Sole Community, and Prospective Payment System Hospitals), and specialty hospitals (long-term acute care, children’s rehabilitation, psychiatric, and religious hospitals), their addresses, bed counts, rural/urban definitions, CMS rural payment designations, and more.
Hospital List

Health Workforce Research Digest​

The Health Workforce Digest is a monthly newsletter created by the Health Workforce Assistance Center (HWTAC) that provides relevant and up-to-date information on a variety of key topics in health workforce research. Each issue of the newsletter includes a curated list of journal articles published in the previous month, categorized by topic. This online resource is a repository of all issues of the Health Workforce Research Digest newsletter, searchable by topic and by date.
Resource

Check out the Rural Health Legislative Tracker to Track Both Federal and Iowa Bill

NRHA's legislative tracker enables you to view the rural health bills in Congress that the association is monitoring. Bills are searchable and categorized by topic area. By clicking on a bill, you can find its summary, review cosponsors, and stay up to date on congressional actions. Use the FIND dropdown menu to access by Federal or State.
Tracker

Make Medicare Beneficiaries Healthier by Strengthening Primary Car

This report advocates for hybrid payment models that provide primary care teams with upfront, population-based payments, allowing clinicians more time to focus on prevention and chronic disease management. It also calls for policy changes to remove financial barriers for patients and reduce administrative burdens on providers. To amplify these findings, PCC has released a Marketing Toolkit with ready-to-use social media posts, key messages, and outreach strategies.
Brief
Toolkit

Publications

Understanding Available Data Sources to Estimate the Size and Distribution of Community Health Workers in the United States
​

Community health workers are an important workforce for health care systems to achieve health equity and reduce health disparities in vulnerable communities. However, because CHWs are a non-licensed workforce who work across system settings with various job titles, it is difficult to estimate and characterize this workforce. 
This article discusses the estimated size and state distribution of the community health workforce in the US by comparing 3 national data sources and explores the influence of state reimbursement and certification on the number of community health workers per 100,000 people in each state. 
Article

Utilizing Federal Data Sources to Support Nursing Workforce Analysis
​

Many federal agencies collect data which can be used for health workforce analysis, however, identifying the most appropriate data sources to address a specific nursing workforce issue can be challenging. 
This article examines 18 federal data sources relevant to nursing workforce analysis. Researchers provide descriptions of each data source, evaluate their suitability for nursing workforce studies, share examples of previous studies utilizing these datasets, and identify their limitations. 
Article

Special Collection of Papers Focused on The Health Workforce ​

CHWS and the Health Workforce Research Centers (HWRCs) recently collaborated with Health Affairs Scholar to release a special collection of papers focused on the health workforce. This collection explores key issues affecting the health workforce today, including workforce shortages, the effects of health professions regulation, and the physical and mental well-being of health care workers.
Collection

New Study Highlights Challenges in Iowa's Medicaid Dental Access 
​

Dr. Reynolds and colleagues recently published research evaluating the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan based on a 2023 survey of Iowa private practice dentists.
This study provides key insights into challenges and opportunities within the state’s dental care system, highlighting areas for improvement in Medicaid dental access.  
Publication

Health Professional Retention in Underserved Areas: Findings from the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program Participants in the United States ​

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) provides loan repayment for a two or three-year service commitment from clinicians to work in underserved areas. We observed that technical assistance and job resources were more influential on clinicians’ intentions, compared to individual- or community-level characteristics. Organizations with efficient and supportive work environments may help retain clinicians in underserved areas.
Publication

Medicaid Billing for Community Health Worker Services Growing, but Remains Low, 2016-2020
​

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are increasingly recognized as essential healthcare providers in the United States. Valued for their deep understanding of the communities they serve, CHWs play a crucial role in building high-impact partnerships with low-income, underserved, and racial and ethnic minority populations. This article examines the trends in community health worker billing for Medicaid services across states from 2016 to 2020. 
Article

Rural Workforce Recruitment and Retention Factors
​

The United States continues to grapple with a severe and worsening shortage of health care professionals, particularly in rural areas. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) reported that as of September 2023, approximately one-third of the nation's population lived in a primary care health professional shortage area (HPSA), 77 million lived in a dental health HPSA, and almost half lived in a mental health HPSA. Workforce shortages in rural areas strain local economies, with primary care physicians contributing significantly to economic stability.
Brief

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Findings 
​

Iowa BRFSS survey data is used to design, implement, and support public health activities with the goal of reducing chronic diseases and other leading causes of death for Iowans. The survey is conducted every year, which allows for health trends to be compared over time. This data is also used to monitor the progress made towards the state’s Healthy Iowans: State Health Improvement Plan and the national Healthy People 2030 Objectives.
Brief