~ More than 100 stakeholders collaborate on strategies to address Virginia’s severe healthcare workforce shortage ~
Today in Richmond, the annual Claude Moore Scholars Healthcare Workforce Summit brought together more than 100 stakeholders from around the state representing schools, government agencies, the private sector, and workforce development agencies to collaborate on innovative solutions to address Virginia’s severe healthcare workforce shortage.
According to an analysis by the George Mason University Center for Health Workforce, the Commonwealth of Virginia needs tens of thousands more healthcare workers to meet our population’s needs, including:
- 17,000 registered nurses
- 11,000 medical and human services managers
- 9,000 social and human services assistants
- 3,700 physical therapists
- 2,700 nursing assistants
- 2,400 mental health and substance abuse social workers
“This was an amazing gathering of people from around the state who are doing the hard work to create family sustaining career opportunities while meeting the healthcare needs of our state,” said Dr. Bill Hazel, CEO of Claude Moore Opportunities and former Virginia Secretary of Health. “There are rewarding and critically needed positions waiting to be filled throughout the healthcare system, but too often people don’t know how to get the training and credentials they need, or face barriers that keep them out of the healthcare workforce. When we invest in flexible, accessible career pathways in healthcare, we lift more Virginians into the middle class and help our fellow Virginians live healthier lives.”
The summit featured a special keynote presentation from Kathleen deLaski, author of “Who Needs College Anymore?,” followed by a panel discussion on the future of education and workforce development with Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera, Virginia Community College System Chancellor Davide Dore’, and Kathy Byron, Deputy Commissioner of Virginia Works.
The afternoon session includes a meeting of the Virginia Partnership for Health Science Careers, a new statewide network of regional healthcare workforce collaboratives created and supported by Claude Moore Opportunities.
Panel discussions addressed topics including unique regional needs and assets, expansion of the youth mental health workforce, development of career pathways, employer engagement, and ways to measure the success and effectiveness of programs.
Attendees included school systems and other recipients of grant funding from the Claude Moore Scholars program which has provided more than $20 million to help 20,000+ Virginians participate in healthcare education and training. Among the institutions represented were the Richmond Technical Center, Loudoun County Public Schools, Winchester Public Schools, Wise County Public Schools, Virginia Tech, Bon Secours, Ballad Health, Carilion Clinic, and community colleges around the state.
