We work together to connect resources, champion equity, and strengthen health systems across rural Washington.

Happy National Social Work Month!

Social Work Month 2026 is all about how social workers uplift, defend, and transform. Your story matters. Your voice carries. Your work shapes communities.

Northwest Rural Health Conference Success!

Thank you for joining us at the 2026 Northwest Rural Health Conference and congratulations to all our Rural Health Heroes winners!

Pictured here: Forks Community Hospital's Palliative Care Team, Winners of the 2025 Rural Health Heroes Team Award

Save the Date: Rural Health Transformation Program Webinar

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is our state's appointed lead on the Rural Health Transformation Program. Transformation Program. In this webinar HCA will cover the background, current work, and next steps in the RHT Program, including future requests for proposal (RFP) opportunities.

Date: Tuesday, April 14
Time: 10:00 - 10:45 am

If you can’t make it to the webinar, the recording will be shared through HCA's webpage after the event. You can also find more information and RHT Program updates on the page.

Rural Health Information Hub Podcast

Community-Based Recruiting: Keeping Providers Close, with Joe Theine and Jen Gero Learn about community-based recruiting and how it streamlines the path to robust health systems integrated into rural areas. This is Part 1 in a 3-part series.

Coding and Billing Bootcamps

We have partnered with the Association for Rural and Community Health Professional Coding (ARCHPRO) to provide FREE Coding and Billing Certification Bootcamps for Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Health Clinics in April.

T-Mobile Hometown Grant Program

Main Street America is partnering with T-Mobile to help build stronger, more prosperous small towns in rural communities. Up to 100 towns will receive up to $50,000 each.  The grant application period will close Tuesday, March 31 at 9:59 pm PT

Rural Nursing Education Program

The Rural Nursing Education Program (RNEP) addresses Washington state’s critical rural nursing shortage by expanding access to nursing education in the state’s rural and underserved communities. RNEP works with academic institutions and rural health care facilities (Critical Access Hospitals) to employ a “grow-your-own workforce” model that supports place-based nursing education and training. Students are nominated by their employers (Critical Access Hospitals) and have access to online curriculum, wraparound supports, and training within their hospital so they can remain in their rural communities while earning their degree. Website Launch This site offers key information on RNEP partnerships and program updates for academic institutions, rural health care facilities, students, and future preceptors. Community Partner Application   RNEP's Community Partner Application is now open! Please fill out this application if you are interested in partnering with RNEP to adopt the RNEP model at your organization. The application is due Monday, March 23.

Measles Outbreak Response Efforts

The DOH Office of Immunization has funding to assist with small-scale measles outbreak response efforts. This funding will support up to 14 mobile MMR vaccination events through Care-A-Van, in coordination with impacted jurisdictions. For more information, please contact Rebecca.Baron@doh.wa.gov or Care-A-Van@doh.wa.gov.

State Health Improvement Plan

DOH is looking for partners to include in upcoming State Health Improvement Plan activities. Complete this survey and share with your partners. If you have any questions or need language access support, please contact our office at SHIP@doh.wa.gov   DOH invites you to co-develop the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP), along with other cross-sector partners, Tribes, and community members. Please join us March 24 and/or March 31 to co-develop policy solutions to address the top two health priorities facing WA state as identified by partners and data.

Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) 101 Webinar

The Washington State Primary Care Office invites you to share this upcoming webinar with colleagues and partner who work with rural health clinics and are involved in workforce planning, shortage designation, or loan repayment programs. HPSA 101 provides a practical overview of how Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) scores are calculated and why they matter. 

Tuesday, March 24 1:00 - 2:00 pm

Participants will:

• Become familiar with the facility HPSA designation process
• Learn about the scoring components for Primary Care, Mental Health, and Dental Health HPSA scores for RHCs
• Understand the National Shortage Designation Update (NSDU) and impacts to facility HPSA scores
• Know how to access the auto-HPSA portal and access your site/organizational information
• Understand facility initiated HPSA re-scores and potential opportunities and limitations
• Learn about how state and federal loan repayment programs use HPSA scores

Health Care Authority Community Information Exchange

HCA is establishing the statewide Community Information Exchange (CIE) program in partnership with Comagine Health. They are currently forming advisory groups and starting community engagement activities. The vision of the CIE program is to improve the statewide delivery of HRSN services to Apple Health clients, integrating delivery across regions. On Wednesday, March 18, they will hold two kickoff webinars to provide an introduction to the CIE, share their progress, and present opportunities that lie ahead. Please visit the registration page for more information or to register for one of the two time slots (both sessions will offer the same content). Date: March 18, 2026 Session 1: 9:00 am - 10:00 am Session 2: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Readings and Resources

The Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium is offering Pharmacy Technician Apprenticeships for Rural Washington. Join the upcoming Pharmacy Technician Employer Information Session on Tuesday April 28 at 1:00 pm. Complete the interest form or click here to register.

Earn 1.0 free CME, CNE, or CEU through the Centers for Disease Control's Adult Blood Culture Collection course. This activity is designed to increase knowledge and competency for adult blood culture collection to promote best practices and improve laboratory diagnosis of bloodstream infections.

The Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program is a rolling application that provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities, purchase equipment, and pay related project expenses.

Join the Annual N95 Worker Training online training. This free self-paced online training is for workers in healthcare settings who need to wear respiratory protection and covers the requirements in Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 296-842-16005. After passing the final knowledge check at the end of the training, users can receive a Course Completion Record. For questions, please contact hai@doh.wa.gov.

The Department of Health’s Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Section is partnering with PeaceHealth to offer an Injection Safety Training Opportunity for up to 20 Infection Preventionists (IPs) on April 14 in Vancouver, WA. Priority will be given to IPs from Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Health Clinics, though all acute‑care IPs in Washington are eligible to apply. Participants must also attend (or view the recording of) a required 1‑hour webinar on April 7 at 1:00 pm.

Apply here by end of day March 26. Accepted applicants will be notified by March 31. Travel costs cannot be covered. 

 Questions? Contact ProjectFirstline@doh.wa.gov.

Are you interested in helping make sure people across Washington have access to high-speed internet? Consider joining the Digital Equity Forum! The Digital Equity Forum develops recommendations to advance digital connectivity in Washington and to advise the Washington State Broadband Office. It is a connection between communities and state decision makers.

Apply online by 11pm on March 29.

The DOH health care associated-infection annual report dashboard shows trends in Washington state for health care-associated infections (HAIs). View the latest report summaries and access data downloads.

The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) is hosting a national webinar on Monday, April 13 at 11 am PT: “Workforce as Strategy: A Practical Guide to Attract and Retain Key Personnel.”

This 60-minute session, led by Wintergreen and Gingham Solutions, will offer practical, financial, and operational solutions for the workforce challenges unique to rural healthcare providers. It is relevant to the RHTF Workforce initiative as well.  Key takeaways will include:

• Innovative compensation models that incentivize long-term commitment.
• Self-funded health plans that keep healthcare dollars within your community.
• Creative housing solutions to attract and retain talent.

Health Resources and Services Administration Forecasted Opportunities

• HRSA Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) - Planning 
• HRSA Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Program
• HRSA Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) – Impact

Questions? Contact us at RuralHealth@DOH.WA.gov