Resources

Caregiving in the US 2025: Caring Across States

AARP and The National Alliance for Caregiving offers data on caregivers including demographics, tasks performed, finances and employment, and wellness. Includes rural, suburban, and urban breakdown for caregivers in 32 states.  

Health Professions Graduations Data Dashboard

The purpose of this dashboard is to monitor trends in national and state-level graduations for various health professions from 2008-2023. The map can be used to compare the total number of graduations or the rate of graduations per 100,000 population for a specific health profession by state and year.

Tool to Identify Pharmacy Shortage Areas Across America

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), in collaboration with the University of Southern California (USC), provides an interactive, user-friendly pharmacy shortage area mapping tool available to the general public for the first time. 
To access the tool, you'll need to sign up for an account.

Rural Physician & Advanced Practice Provider Compensation Survey Results

Stroudwater's report highlights the significant variation in provider pay among rural organizations. It emphasizes the urgent need for rural healthcare to align provider compensation with the organization’s goals and ensure compliance with fair market value.

Is My Hospital Rural?

An infographic that provides a U.S. map showing state-level rural hospital coverage versus total hospital coverage. Includes information on bed availability, access, and economic impact.

 ​Rural mental health resource center

This resource center offers information on:
  • ​Mental health challenges
  • Treatment and support options
  • Accessing rural mental health care
  • Stigma in rural communities
  • Belonging and connection
  • Youth mental health in rural areas
  • Farming and agricultural mental health
  • Community resilience
  • Rural webinars and blogs

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.

Rural and Community Health

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Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP)

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Rural Health

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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.

Health Equity Data Book
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a Health Equity Data Book looking at Medicare, Medicaid, and the Marketplace populations. 

Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer​

Health care providers who are located in geographic areas that are defined as Rural are eligible to apply for Rural Health Grants. Enter an address or choose a state and county to check for eligibility status.​

New Health Workforce Projections Data Available

View National Center for Health Workforce Analysis projections of the future supply of and demand for healthcare occupations. 

​Career-Connected Learning (Career Exploration & Work-Based Learning)

​Career-connected learning includes a continuum of structured activities utilizing the partnership between industry and education to engage student learning. 

​Health Workforce Mapper

​The American Medical Association Health Workforce Mapper is a free, customizable, interactive tool that illustrates the geographic distribution of the health care workforce. 

​Impact Wellbeing Campaign

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Impact Wellbeing™ campaign gives hospital leaders evidence-informed solutions to:
  • Reduce healthcare worker burnout
  • Sustain wellbeing
  • Build a system where healthcare workers thrive

​Rural-Urban Commuting Area Codes

The rural-urban commuting area (RUCA) codes classify U.S. census tracts using measures of population density, urbanization, and daily commuting

Supporting Rural Health Leadership and Management​

This new topic guide shares information to help rural communities find resources and strategies to support rural health leadership and management. Covers challenges related to the recruitment and retention of leaders and managers in rural areas, details on essential skills and skill development opportunities, strategic planning, and more!

​Applying for Grants to Support Rural Health Projects

​This guidance can serve as a starting point for those who need assistance to begin the grant writing process. It covers tips on searching for rural-specific funding, grant proposal preparation, building successful funding relationships, and planning for program sustainability.

​National Rural Health Resource Center Releases New Population Health Toolkit

The Population Health Toolkit brings together tools and information to support improving your awareness as your organization journeys into population health management.

Rural Health Insights for Each State & Congressional District

Stroudwater Associates, in partnership with the National Rural Healthcare Association (NRHA) and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), has developed an integrated data visualization dashboard of healthcare infrastructure, workforce, outcomes, and status metrics. 

A Professional’s Guide to Occupational Licensure Compacts

An occupational compact hub for various professions highlighting how each is utilizing a compact to improve licensure portability.​

Iowa's Labor Market

Iowa Workforce Development's Labor Market Information Division is the state's premier resource for labor force data, statistics, and research on Iowa's labor pool and economy

Provider Bridge

​Provider Bridge helps mobilize verified healthcare providers to communities where they are needed most.

​Economic Impact & Community Benefits of Iowa Hospitals

The Iowa Hospital Association has a hospital data visualization dashboard that shows economic impact and community benefits of Iowa hospitals.

​Rural Health: Addressing Barriers to Care Infographic

This infographic presents data on rural versus urban health disparities and barriers to healthcare in rural America.

University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health's online Communication Toolkit

​This toolkit is designed to help healthcare organizations and facilities tell their stories through branding, media outlets, social media, and other resources.

​Health Resources and Services Administration ​Nursing Workforce Dashboard

The Nursing Workforce Dashboard visualizes data from the 2018 and 2022 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN), which includes detailed information on the nursing workforce in the United States.

A Primer for Multi-Sector Health Partnerships in Rural Areas and Small Cities

This primer aims to assist multi-sector approaches that increase community-centered investments to support opportunities for all individuals to live long, healthy lives, regardless of their income, education, race or ethnic background.

Treating Rural America Docuseries

  • The last doctor in town: The first in STAT's three-part documentary series exploring rural health in the U.S.
  • The new country doctors: A growing number of residencies in the U.S. are placing residents entirely in rural medical settings.
  • The telehealth solution: One health care system is leveraging virtual appointments and remote monitoring technologies to increase access to care.

Essential: Iowa's EMS emergency

This is an eight-part KCCI investigation into emergency medical services in Iowa. It spans from families who dialed 911 only to wait or not see an EMT at all, to the staffing shortage across the state, to departments closing across Iowa.

Rural Healthy People 2030 - Charting a Course for Rural Health Over the Next Decade

Rural Healthy People 2030 is a companion to the federal Healthy People 2030 program designed to set health promotion and disease prevention goals for the United States over the next decade. Relying on data from a national survey of rural stakeholders, Rural Healthy People 2030 works to identify the most important Healthy People priorities for rural America, as identified by rural stakeholders, for the current decade.

Rural Health Road Trip: The Hawkeye State
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IRHA Past-President Whitney Zahnd joined hosts JJ and Rachel from Rural Health Rising to discuss similarities and differences in rural healthcare from state to state. Their conversation highlighted how state rural healthcare associations, hospital associations, and offices of rural health work to tackle issues that support hospitals and healthcare providers' ability to provide care in tier communities. 

​The Rural Library and Health Cooperative Agreement Program: A New Chapter in Rural Healthcare Access

Is Rural Emergency Hospital the Best Option for You?

Technical experts discuss a new federal designation, the Rural Emergency Hospital, a provider type designed to address concerns that some rural hospitals would not be able to sustain operations and could be at risk of closure.

​Helping Community Health Workers Succeed: Ideas From an Innovative Program

​Experts praise community health workers as the keys to building a more equitable and fair health care system in America. Is there a way to unlock more success for hiring and retaining them?

​2023 Health Workforce Research Symposium: Addressing Health Workforce Shortages Now & In the Future

​On October 11th, HWTAC hosted the 2023 Health Workforce Research Symposium at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The streaming component—which included Sessions 1 and 2—is now available to watch on demand.

 ​"Help Wanted: Trends and Strategies for Iowa's Workforce" 2023

This webinar explored how Midwest population and growth trends have created labor challenges and how employers need to re-assess their recruitment strategies to tap into underutilized workforce segments. 

​How Does the Definition of "Rural" Impact Research?

During this webinar, Dr. Janice Probst and Dr. George Pink shared recent research from the FORHP-funded Rural Health Research Centers to highlight the importance of rural definitions and how those definitions impact research. Our presenters provided advice for "What should I take into account when determining rural definitions for my research study?" and "As a non-researcher, what should I look for in rural definitions when reading a study or brief?"

​Podcast: Chidinma Ibe on Community Health Workers' Chance to Advance Public Health Policy 2023

​​Onboarding New Graduate PAs and NPs 2023

​Onboarding new graduate physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) has become a popular topic due to current issues with provider shortages and financial deficiencies in our healthcare system.
This JAAPA podcast discusses onboarding experiences of PAs and NPs in primary care.

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.

​Brookings Institution's Reimagine Rural, a podcast featuring rural towns experiencing positive change

While the dominant narrative regarding rural America is one of decline and division, “Reimagine Rural” is a new podcast that visits rural towns across the United States that are experiencing positive change and explores how public investment in rural people and places can lead to increased and equitable prosperity. 
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