This year, we have relied on our essential healthcare professionals more than ever as they have worked tirelessly to protect our communities in the wake of COVID-19. With exposures and cases on the rise, we are seeing an increase in hospitalizations statewide, leading to an even greater demand and reliance on qualified nursing staff. Particularly in rural communities, a shortage of healthcare workers could mean a lack of essential access to those who need it most.

Across the country, 63% of primary health care shortages fall in rural communities, meaning that in those areas, healthcare workers are experiencing even greater burnout and fatigue. Furthermore, when nurses or healthcare workers are exposed and required to quarantine, this leads to additional shortages.

At Schneck Medical Center in Jackson County, whose total population of 44,231 is 44% rural, 63 nurses were required to quarantine in early March due to widespread coronavirus exposures.

We must ensure healthcare facilities in Jackson County and at other rural hospitals are equipped to manage the rising number of COVID-19 cases, whose total number has reached nearly 400,000 in Indiana. To do this, rural hospitals must identify ways to retain the nurses they have while simultaneously providing upward career mobility.

Currently, most nursing and healthcare education programs are located in urban areas, which means that students must leave their hometowns to earn their degree, leading to less exposure to rural practices. Creating pathways to accessible higher education opportunities is crucial, especially for healthcare professionals during this critical time. The challenges of the coronavirus pandemic have heightened the need for more localized and agile approaches to care delivery. Part of this approach must include the continual upskilling of both rural and urban nursing workforces.

WGU Indiana is one higher education institution whose model supports hundreds of current undergraduate and graduate nursing students in our state’s rural communities. As Indiana’s only online, competency-based university, WGU Indiana partners with hospitals across the state, allowing current and future talented healthcare workers to continue their work and education while remaining in their hometowns. By opening doors for students in rural communities where they already are, it benefits both the students and members of the community.

It’s time to recognize that access to education within our healthcare systems is urgently needed — notably those in rural communities that don’t have the funding and proximity to larger cities. Even beyond the pandemic, we must prioritize access to quality care, especially as the winter months bring additional hospital visits by those suffering from other seasonal illnesses like the flu. No one should have to travel any further than necessary for care during Indiana’s unpredictable winter weather.

I am urging leaders in Seymour and across the state to dedicate time, energy and resources toward efforts that directly support our state’s healthcare system. By working together across healthcare, higher education and government, we can ensure that hospitals are equipped to serve our communities now and in the future. We owe it to our healthcare workers and the invaluable services they provide.

Mary Carney DNP, RN-BC, CCRN, CNE, has nearly four decades of healthcare experience and is the state director of Prelicensure Nursing-Indiana of Western Governer’s University Indiana, a nonprofit, online university offering 60+ degrees in the four colleges of business, teaching, I.T. and health/nursing. Her research efforts involve the realities of shift work, particularly the overnight shift, and fatigue for nurses and their patients. Send comments to [email protected].