Community health centers in eastern Kentucky are developing their own workforce through training programs aimed at filling persistent medical staffing gaps in rural regions.

Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation in Letcher County created the RAISE program—Reach, Achieve, Inspire, Support and Employ—after struggling to fill open positions several years ago. The initiative has evolved to offer educational pathways for certified medical assistants, nurse practitioners, dental assistants, doulas and certified autism specialists, according to the organization.

"We have clinical, administrative, and behavioral pathways. You can go all the way up administratively to a master's degree. You can go all the way clinically to a nurse practitioner level," said Teresa Dotson, chief operating officer and director of administrative affairs for MCHC, according to reporting from Public News Service.

Out of 600 employees at MCHC, more than 200 have participated in the RAISE program. The organization is now expanding the program to include additional healthcare career pathways. According to reporting from Advocates for Community Health, MCHC received $500,000 in funding as one of five community health centers participating in a multi-year collaboration with UnitedHealthcare to address workforce challenges.

The initiative reflects a broader challenge facing Kentucky and the nation. Most counties in Kentucky are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas with acute shortages of primary care providers. Federal projections warn current staffing levels are insufficient to meet demand over the next decade, with more than 40 million rural Americans living in shortage areas.

Dotson emphasized the importance of local investment in healthcare workers who understand their communities. "We're all about expansion to what the need of the community is. And so we decided, in order to meet that need, that we would truly build our own," she said.