What strategies can communities and states take to help reduce and address the problems of workforce shortages in rural health care?
Approaches that states can take to help remedy the shortage might be promoting educational opportunities; providing professional training; partnering with educational institutions; increasing pay, benefits and flexibility; marketing public health careers; using information technology; and/or training future health care workers. Strategies include encouraging individuals to pursue education in health profession fields by offering programs that provide assistance for repayment of educational loans and to assist with the cost of education. These programs can take the form of grants, loans, fellowships, scholarships, state loan repayment/forgiveness scholarship programs, and faculty loan repayment programs. Some programs have special conditions such as a specified term of service in an underserved area. The Rural Assistance Center has an information guide which covers these programs. For further information, please see Health Education Financial Aid. Another strategy is to assist in recrui
