How St. Luke’s is Building Connections for Better Health in Rural Communities

May 20, 2026

Responding to the ongoing needs of our members, HAP hosted a Workforce Summit that brought together clinical, administrative, and workforce leaders from across Pennsylvania to learn and share best practices for developing and engaging health care teams. We’re highlighting some of the innovative ways Pennsylvania hospitals are addressing the workforce crisis.

Hands-on medical training in rural communities builds connections that leaders at St. Luke’s University Health Network are hoping will relieve the doctor shortage commonly found there.

The strategy is based on strong evidence that physicians are more likely to stay and practice where they train, according to Danielle Godfrey, MHA, manager, rural graduate medical education (GME) programs, and Micah Gursky, director, business development and government relations, who presented their findings during HAP’s recent Workforce Summit.

Their approach blends rural, community-based experiences with the resources of a larger health system. Programs in family medicine and psychiatry place residents in rural hospitals and clinics, where they gain direct experience while serving local populations.

“(Hospital) Residents become embedded in the communities they are serving” Godfrey said.

Beyond clinical care, the programs emphasize community engagement, outreach, and support for vulnerable populations, helping future doctors better understand and meet local needs.

“We trying to transform our community into net positive contributors to health and wellness,” said Gursky.

Key Takeaways:

• Rural communities face serious doctor shortages:  This can lead to delays in care and poorer health outcomes.
• Location, location, location:  Where doctors train matters—those trained in rural settings are much more likely to stay and practice there.
• Results are in:  Growing local training programs is a proven solution, especially in high-need areas, like family medicine and mental health.
• Stronger together:  Community-based training strengthens care by connecting physicians to the people and challenges they will serve.
• Programs go beyond hospitals:  Outreach like school health services, “street medicine,” and student engagement build future workforce pipelines.
• Financial barriers still exist:  This makes it harder for rural hospitals to sustain training programs without additional support.

HAP’s Workforce Summit brought clinical, administrative, and workforce leaders from across Pennsylvania together to learn and share best practices for developing and engaging health care teams. Watch for more #WorkforceWednesday coverage in the coming weeks of the innovative practices shared during the summit.