On September 3, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the Rural Action Plan, following an August 3 executive order requesting that the HHS produce a report on existing and upcoming efforts to improve rural healthcare. The Rural Action Plan is the first HHS-wide assessment of rural healthcare efforts in more than 18 years. It is intended to provide a roadmap for HHS to strengthen departmental coordination to better serve the millions of Americans who live in rural communities across the country.

The plan examines the key challenges facing rural communities related to issues such as emerging health disparities, chronic disease burden, high rates of maternal mortality, and limited access to mental health services. In the context of evaluating the rural health workforce, the plan highlights the maldistribution of oral health providers in rural areas, and research showing that rural adults have fewer dental visits and more permanent tooth loss compared to urban adults.

The plan lays out a four-point strategy to transform rural health and human services, consisting of both short- and long-term potential actions. The four points of the plan are:

1. Build a sustainable health and human services model for rural communities by empowering rural providers to transform service delivery on a broad scale.
2. Leverage technology and innovation to deliver quality care and services to rural communities more efficiently and cost-effectively.
3. Focus on preventing disease and mortality by developing rural-specific efforts to improve health outcomes.
4. Increase rural access to care by eliminating regulatory burdens that limit the availability of needed clinical professionals.

Impact on General Dentistry: AGD appreciates the Administration’s efforts to examine and improve the state of rural health care. AGD also firmly believes that any actions undertaken through this effort be firmly based in evidence that they are effective and safe for the rural communities in which they are implemented. AGD has maintained its commitment to improving access to dental care for Americans in rural communities and is currently furthering that commitment by participating in the Health Resources & Services Administration’s (HRSA) Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Scoring Criteria Request for Information (RFI) process.