The shortage of healthcare professionals in the United States is a growing problem, particularly in rural areas across the country. A recent brief by the National Rural Health Association reports that around thirty-three percent of the population live in what are called primary care “health professional shortage areas” of HPSAs, 77 million live in a dental health HPSA and almost half live in a mental health HPSA. These shortages create greater inequities in access to health care, strain local economies and reduce services to the community. Programs aimed at this problem have tried to improve the situation, but with only minimal effectiveness. The National Rural Health Association proposes some fresh ideas to help.
Medical Deserts
Another term similar to primary care health professional shortage area is “Medical Desert” and it signifies a gross maldistribution of health care workers. For instance, twenty percent of the U.S. population lives in rural areas and only ten percent of all physicians in America practice in these communities. Due to insufficient access to health care, medical deserts are troubled by inequities in access, longer wait times, reduced service complexity, increased risk of mortality and fewer health care services in general.
Improving Health Care in Rural America: A Proposal
The National Rural Health Association proposes a four-point plan to improve health care in rural America, through both non-institutional (outside of the health care organization’s control), and institutional factors which can be controlled by health care companies.
Point 1: One such non-institutional area is the creation of economic stability through affordable housing, educational and spousal employment opportunities. Companies, on the other hand, can work towards equitable compensation and benefits, a higher living wage for hourly employees, bonuses to offset moving, temporary housing, and childcare cost assistance.
Point 2: Creating a sustainable neighborhood and environment that is geographically close to health care facilities and amenities (shopping centers, restaurants, etc.) could ease the shortage in health care workers. Companies may wish to partner with local builders to develop affordable housing, short-term rentals, or work with local hotels to ease the burden on health care workers seeking jobs in rural areas.
Point 3: Developing rural communities socially and contextually so that they are more attractive and provide good quality of living, social cohesion, non-discrimination and civil participation. For instance, only twenty percent of rural Americans identify as non-white and only ten percent of rural physicians are from minority groups. Companies can develop from this, better planning, recruiting and retention programs, with educational opportunities aimed at rural citizens and others.
Point 4: A final non-institutional means of recruiting and retaining health care professionals in rural America is to provide access to high quality education and professional development to employees and good school systems for their children. Companies can offer work-life balance, assist with child care, reduce geographic barriers, enable access to specialists, and support dual-career households through remote work opportunities for spouses.
Final Thoughts on Recruiting and Retaining Healthcare Professionals in Rural America
The United States has a deficit in health care professionals across the country, but rural areas are especially in trouble for a wide range of reasons. Society as a whole, and health care companies specifically can do something about this through concerted efforts to improve these so called “medical deserts” and turn rural America into thriving communities that provide stable employment, education, affordable housing, amenities and good quality of life for health care professionals.
Resource
- Weichelt, Bryan, Kasey DeLynn and Tianna Fallgatter. Rural Workforce Recruitment and Retention Factors. National Rural Health Association Policy Brief, March 2025.