~ Claude Moore Opportunities bringing together public and private sector stakeholders, including educational institutions and employers, to better align region’s healthcare workforce development efforts and create career opportunities ~
As part of a new statewide initiative called the Virginia Partnership for Health Science Careers, a regional partnership in Hampton Roads will bring together schools, hospitals, healthcare providers, and workforce development professionals from the public and private sector to expand the area’s healthcare workforce, create meaningful career opportunities, and meet the needs of communities throughout Hampton Roads. Launched in April 2024 and now part of the statewide network, the partnership will work to implement Collaborating to Address Regional Workforce Challenges: A Roadmap, an “off-the-shelf” guide to establish and operate regional, employer-engaged workforce development collaboratives in Virginia with a focus on healthcare careers.
The regional healthcare workforce partnership will be coordinated by Tavaris Powell of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council and involve partners including Riverside Health, Sentara, Camp Community College, Camp Community College, Tidewater Community College, Virginia Peninsula Community College, Eastern Shore Community College, the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, and K-12 school systems around the region. The partnership will serve communities including the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg; and the counties of Accomack, Isle of Wight, James City, Northampton, Southampton, and York.
To support the partnership’s success, Claude Moore Opportunities has contributed $200,000 to fund the Hampton Roads regional coordinator position through the Hampton Roads Workforce Council. It also helped convene the needed regional stakeholders, provided financial support for healthcare workforce development programs throughout the region, and its partners at the George Mason University Center for Health Workforce have provided data on current and expected healthcare workforce shortages in the region.
“At Claude Moore, we believe that coordinated, regional partnerships are the most promising approach for creating meaningful career opportunities while meeting the healthcare needs of our citizens and strengthening regional economies throughout Virginia,” said Dr. Bill Hazel, CEO of Claude Moore Opportunities. “We are proud to be part of a true collaborative effort that builds on the work that local officials have been doing for years, and look forward to the positive impact that this partnership will have on families and communities throughout the region.”
“This partnership is a powerful step forward in aligning Hampton Roads talent development efforts with the urgent needs of the healthcare industry,” said Shawn Avery, CEO of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council. “By working closely with Claude Moore Opportunities and our educational and employer partners, we’re creating stronger pathways to employment for jobseekers and building a more responsive regional workforce system that benefits the entire Hampton Roads community.”
“As the region’s leading integrated health system, Sentara knows that high-quality care depends on the strength of our entire healthcare workforce. Physicians and nurses are at the heart of healing—but they do not work alone. Our care teams include a wide array of professionals: imaging technologists, surgical assistants, therapists, pharmacists, medical assistants, and many others who ensure we deliver safe, accessible, and compassionate care,” said Becky Sawyer, EVP, Chief People Officer at Sentara Healthcare. “With projected shortages of registered nurses, physicians, and other critical roles over the next decade, we must act with urgency. The Hampton Roads Partnership for Health Sciences, led by the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, is a key driver in strengthening Virginia’s healthcare pipeline. Together, we are building the workforce of tomorrow—one that is diverse, well-supported, and prepared to meet the evolving needs of our patients, members, and communities.”
“As the VACTEA (Virginia Association of Career and Technical Education Administrators) Region II representative, I’m proud to support the Hampton Roads Partnership for Health Sciences because it creates powerful connections between our schools, local healthcare providers, and the community,” said Toinette Outland, VACTEA Region II Representative, Principal of Portsmouth Advanced Career Education (PACE) Center, Portsmouth Public Schools. “This partnership not only strengthens our health sciences programs but also brings real awareness to the wide range of career opportunities available in healthcare. It’s exciting to see students given the opportunity to gain hands-on experiences that prepare them for high-demand careers while helping to address critical workforce needs in our region.”
In addition to the regional partnership for Hampton Roads, partnerships have now been established in each region of the state as part of the Virginia Partnership for Health Science Careers, a new statewide effort led by Claude Moore Opportunities to better coordinate healthcare workforce development in communities around the Commonwealth. The network’s workforce development efforts will focus on the careers that create strong, accessible medical, dental, and behavioral/mental health systems such as technicians, assistants, and aides, with an emphasis on the positions that community leaders and healthcare providers identify as most critical for their region.
The Hampton Roads regional partnership has been holding regional coordination meetings since April 2024 while the overarching Virginia Partnership for Health Science Careers has held two statewide summits to share strategies and best practices.
The Healthcare Workforce Shortage in Hampton Roads
According to a comprehensive 2023 study for the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority, 102 of Virginia’s 133 localities are federally designated “Health Professional Shortage Areas” and 93 localities are “Mental Healthcare Professional Shortage Areas,” meaning about 30% of Virginians live in a community without a sufficient number of primary and behavioral healthcare providers.
Based on an analysis of active job ads performed by the George Mason University Center for Health Workforce, it is estimated that, in order to meet the community’s healthcare demands in Hampton Roads Virginia, the region needs:
- 2,881 nurses
- 1,980 medical and health services managers
- 1,676 social and human service assistants
- 934 physical therapists
- 750 radiologic technologists and technicians
- 562 licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses
- 448 nursing assistants
- 437 mental health and substance abuse social workers
- 426 personal care aides
*(As of 2024Q3)
Hampton Roads also needs 131 postsecondary health specialties teachers to train and educate the next generation of healthcare and life sciences workers.
The GMU Center for Health Workforce analysis found that the Commonwealth of Virginia as a whole needs:
- 17,537 registered nurses
- 10,670 medical and human services managers
- 9,171 social and human services assistants
- 3,751 physical therapists
- 3,090 licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- 2,760 nursing assistants
- 2,412 mental health and substance abuse social workers
- 2,282 personal care aides
*(As of 2024Q4)
The Commonwealth also needs 1,711 postsecondary health specialties teachers to train and educate the next generation of healthcare and life sciences workers.
About The Roadmap and Sector Partnerships
The Roadmap was developed collaboratively by Claude Moore, Virginia Works, and Virginia Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater with input from stakeholders around the Commonwealth including public and private sector workforce and economic development professionals, educators, and major employers. It represents a significant new embrace of the “sector-based strategy” that is emerging nationally as a successful method of creating a larger pool of skilled workers to capitalize on a community’s strengths and meet its unique needs.
The keys to The Roadmap’s approach are its emphasis on wide stakeholder engagement to ensure a region’s trainings and educational offerings match its needs, and the creation of flexible professional development opportunities with “on and off ramps” so that Virginians can take their education as far as they wish while staying engaged with the workforce.
The Roadmap was released in September 2024 to stakeholders who contributed to it and public and private sector partners who can benefit from its use including local workforce boards, economic and workforce development professionals and agencies, the Virginia Community College System, Chambers of Commerce, major employers, and more.
The strategies explained in the Roadmap are applicable to any industry or sector that requires concerted workforce development efforts with a specific focus on healthcare workforce because of Virginia’s considerable needs, the complexity of healthcare workforce development, and Claude Moore’s unique expertise in this area.
