No one likes the word consolidation. You lose a school in a rural community and you shut down the entire community. The solution is more students, and economic development is a key component to finding those students. Fully funding Medicare would help rural hospitals stay alive and viable. Economic growth would not only help schools, but hospitals as well.
Recruitment is a continuous struggle.
The reality is doctors are 100 percent mobile. They can go anywhere and get a job, so you have to have the support systems in place to attract doctors and retain them. There's no magic bullet out there.