The proportion of elderly Minnesotans is growing. Diversity is increasing, and rural residents may no longer observe the same traditions or speak the same language. Due to economic obstacles, many rural hospitals have closed. Communities have difficulty in recruiting and retaining health care providers. These challenges are not only limited to rural areas.
Some urban neighborhoods face similar barriers to providing high-quality health care.
The Office of Rural Health and Primary Care is part of the Department of Health's Community Health Division. The shortages we see in today's health care workforce such as shortages of registered nurses, nursing assistants, home care aides, lab technicians, radiology technicians and others are really only the tip of the iceberg. This time, the shortages will last a lot longer than we've seen in the past, and health care will increasingly be competing against other fields like education for the same workers. The Office of Rural Health and Primary Care is undertaking a variety of initiatives designed to monitor and directly address this increasingly important topic, including workforce partnerships, the health services personnel database, loan forgiveness programs, and health professional shortage area designation. The Minnesota Health Professions Workforce Partnership, which is planning and supporting regional health professions workforce forums around the state.