Each year, National Rural Health Day serves as a reminder of the unique opportunities and challenges faced by rural communities in the United States. This week, we celebrated the successes and highlighted the challenges of rural health workforce development.
In recent years, rural health has seen notable successes, thanks to the resiliency and creativity of the local communities. Many rural areas have expanded their policies, programs, and operations to address major issues, including education pathways, critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, and local health departments providing school health services and preventive care (National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health).
However, rural communities face a number of challenges that make it harder to build a strong and sustainable health workforce. One of the biggest obstacles is the difficulty in attracting and retaining skilled workers. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 25% of adults aged 25 and older in rural areas have obtained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 37% in urban areas (National Center for Education Statistics). In 2021, the average per capita income for all Americans was $64,143, whereas rural areas had an average per capita income of $49,895 (Rural Health Information Hub). Additionally, rural communities may feel isolated, with fewer resources and social connections, which can discourage workers from relocating. This results in job vacancies that go unfilled, leading to overworked staff and longer wait times for services, which only worsens the problem.
There are many federal, state, and privately-funded programs established to ensure rural communities have access to health services, preventive care, and healthy environments. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), rural communities can use USDA programs to build a stronger workforce. These programs are designed for community leaders and other local entities to help them access resources to recruit, train, retain talent, and expand educational opportunities and provide technical assistance.
Strategies for strengthening rural health communities:
Challenge: Recruiting and retaining workers for rural public health roles.
Opportunity: To address this, we must incentivize and prepare the next generation of leaders to engage in cross-sector partnerships across public, non-profit, and private organizations in rural communities. These collaborations can create innovative programs that drive substantial change. Programs such as the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), which offers loan forgiveness for professionals working in underserved areas, and organizations that support continuing education credits, are key components of this incentive strategy. Additionally, initiatives like the Rural Workforce Development Innovation Network (RWIN) help public health and healthcare leaders ignite new collaborations and build sustainable workforce solutions.
Cross-Sector Collaboration as a Workforce Priority
For rural health leaders, collaboration isn’t just an advantage—it’s a survival skill. Proximate Learning delivers customized leadership training products and coaching services that teach and practice four core skills for rural health professionals to become better equipped to lead transformative initiatives.
Resource Sharing: Leveraging partnerships to pool funding, technology, and expertise.
Community Engagement: Building trust and co-creating solutions with local stakeholders.
Systems Thinking: Understanding how social determinants like poverty, housing, and education intersect with health outcomes.
Adaptability: Navigating the complexities of small, tight-knit communities with diverse needs.
As we look to the future of workforce development in rural communities, Here are a few questions to consider:
What are some effective strategies or programs you've seen that could help address the workforce challenges in rural areas?
How can these be expanded or improved to create more sustainable opportunities for rural communities?
Could your community or organization benefit from having an initial conversation about our products and services?
Data Sources:
Rural Health Information Hub
National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health https://powerofrural.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/NRHD2024_KeyMessagesDataPoints.pdf
National Center for Education Statistics
U.S. Department of Agriculture https://www.rd.usda.gov/sites/default/files/RWIN_Fact_Sheet508_121420.pdf
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