What Workforce? A Rural Health Care Crisis - Terry Fulmer Writes about Rural Aging for Next Avenue
Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, President of The John A. Hartford Foundation, has written a blog published on Next Avenue, "What Workforce? A Rural Health Care Crisis."
"The Census Bureau (2010) reports that 20 percent of the U.S. population is rural, but only 12 percent of primary care physicians - and 8 percent of specialists - are working in rural areas. Those who live in small towns and the countryside continue to travel great distances for their care, and workforce shortages limit their access even further."
Dr. Fulmer discusses how The John A. Hartford Foundation is bolstering the geriatrics workforce through partnerships with, for instance, the Eldercare Workforce Alliance, and with the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program. She talks about learning from local and regional workforce innovations and bringing them to scale but points out that, "We need to share learnings from these success stories so that similar workforce innovations can be implemented in every corner of the country. We must demand that we have equal access and equal quality of health care regardless of where we live. Older adults deserve equitable, reliable care."
To read the blog, click here.