Linkages Between Rural Community Capitals and Healthcare Provision: A Survey of Small Rural Towns in Three U.S. Regions

John Pender, Maria Kuhns, Cindy Yu, Janice Larson and Shirley Huck

No 333533, USDA Miscellaneous from United States Department of Agriculture

Abstract: This report identifies community-level factors affecting the recruitment and retention of rural healthcare professionals. The authors used key informant interviews and a survey of healthcare professionals in 150 small rural towns in 9 States, emphasizing a broad range of community assets and investments. Most participants perceived social capital (involving personal and professional relationships) to be important for the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals. Human capital (resources inherent in people—such as their education, skills, and health) and physical capital (infrastructure, buildings, and equipment) were also important to most healthcare professionals but generally less so than social capital. Other types of community capital were important to a minority of health professionals. These findings suggest that rural communities can have a significant influence on attracting and retaining healthcare professionals through investments in social, human, and physical capital. The importance of many of these factors varies across the study regions and professional categories.

Keywords: Community/Rural/Urban Development; Environmental Economics and Policy; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; Labor and Human Capital; Public Economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 31
Date: 2023-03-16
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:usdami:333533

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.333533

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