Rural Minnesota Community Resources
Minnesota Department of Health
The Minnesota Department of Health Office of Rural Health and Primary Care web site provides a wealth of information about such topics as rural Minnesota Grant Programs; Technical Assistance for Clinics and Hospitals; Recruitment and Retention of Health Professionals, Research and Program Development. Go to www.health.state.mn.us, then use that site’s Search feature to go to the Office of Rural Health & Primary Care. There, you can also find information about innovative types of rural dental practice arrangements under “Successful Models.”
Minnesota AHEC
The Minnesota Area Health Education Center web site has information specific to rural northeastern and southwestern/central Minnesota, along with numerous helpful Internet links.
University of Minnesota School of Dentistry
The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry is one of the top ten public universities in the United States, and the only dental school in the upper Midwest from Minnesota to the West Coast. As a regional dental school, it draws applicants not only from Minnesota but from several states and other countries. The School’s faculty and administration are keenly aware of the needs of rural, diverse communities and have designed curricula and programs with that in mind. They can provide valuable dental workforce and rural dental practice information, and can sometimes help link dental students and residents to your community through supervised outreach experiences.
Community Demographic Data
Depending on the scope and focus of your recruitment effort, you may need the following data:
- Community Profiles;
- Demographics;
- Dental Workforce (follow the link, then click on “Health Workforce”);
- Economic, employment and salary data (follow the link, then click on “Facts and figures,” then on “Labor market,” then on “Wages and salaries”);
- Health status data (follow the link, then click on “Health Data and Statistics”).
Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas ("HPSA")
If you would like to know where dental health professional shortages currently exist in Minnesota, go to http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/shortage/.
Federally Qualified Health Centers ("FQHC")
Some underserved areas have found it beneficial to establish a Federally Qualified Health Center, www.cms.hhs.gov/center/fqhc.asp.
Minnesota State Legislature
If the scope of your rural recruitment project is large, (for example, establishing a new dental clinic to meet the needs of underserved populations), you may find it helpful to seek funding from the state legislature. Task force members can influence legislators and other policymakers to help obtain state and local funding for the benefit of the whole community.