The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced earlier this year that it would invest close to $60 million in rural healthcare communities. According to recent research, only 10% of the nation’s physicians are found in rural areas, although 20% of Americans live in such areas.
With the help of healthcare job development, training, and placement, 31 awardees who want to increase the availability of healthcare in rural and tribal communities will receive funding totaling about $46 million. This includes financing for front-line healthcare workers such as community-based doulas, medical assistants, dental assistants, dental hygienists, and other front-line healthcare providers in high demand in rural areas.
An additional $10 million will be used to support 13 different organizations through the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program. The organizations will launch new medical residency programs in small towns to increase the number of doctors training in rural areas.
Many of the prizes for 2022 (and previous years) are given to family medicine residents. The average award for each of the 13 recipients will be $750,000.
