April 6, 2026: A New Healthcare Advisory Committee, Continued Workforce Shortages & Reopening a Rural Birthing Center

Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital.

News sources for this episode:

Madeline Scheetz, “HHS, CMS form healthcare advisory committee,” March 26, 2026, https://www.beckerspayer.com/leadership/hhs-cms-form-healthcare-advisory-committee/, Becker’s Payer Issues.

Paul Keckley, “Reality Check: the New Healthcare Advisory Committee,” March 29, 2026, https://paulkeckley.com/the-keckley-report/2026/3/29/reality-check-the-new-healthcare-advisory-committee/.

Sophie Brams, “Kennedy, Oz announce new health care advisory committee,” March 26, 2026, https://thehill.com/homenews/5803303-kennedy-oz-healthcare-reform/, The Hill.

Westat, “Workforce Development Drives Solutions to Rural Healthcare Shortages,” December 17, 2025, https://www.westat.com/insights/workforce-solutions-rural-healthcare-shortages/.

Rural Health Information Hub, “Rural Healthcare Workforce,” https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/health-care-workforce.

Jade Tate, “OPINION: Patient care will suffer if we don’t attract more young people to healthcare fields,” May 7, 2024, https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-patient-care-will-suffer-if-we-dont-attract-more-young-people-to-healthcare-fields/, The Hechinger Report.

Kelly Gooch, “As maternity units close, AdventHealth restores OB care in rural Kansas,” March 27, 2026, https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/care-coordination/as-maternity-units-close-adventhealth-restores-ob-care-in-rural-kansas/, Becker’s Hospital Review.

Rural Health Today is a production of Hillsdale Hospital in Hillsdale, Michigan and a member of the Health Podcast Network. Our host is JJ Hodshire, our producer is Kyrsten Newlon, and our audio engineer is Kenji Ulmer. Special thanks to our special guests for sharing their expertise on the show, and also to the Hillsdale Hospital marketing team. If you want to submit a question for us to answer on the podcast or learn more about Rural Health Today, visit ruralhealthtoday.com.