Statewide coalition of regional “sector partnerships” met in Richmond to discuss regional solutions to Virginia’s healthcare workforce shortage
Today, more than 100 healthcare workforce stakeholders gathered in Henrico to discuss regional approaches to address Virginia’s critical healthcare workforce shortage. This was the second meeting of the Virginia Partnership for Health Science Careers, which is a coalition of nine regional partnerships around the state working to align their community’s healthcare workforce needs with their educational and training offerings.
The summit featured remarks on regional collaboration from Dr. Bill Hazel, CEO of Claude Moore Opportunities, Dr. David Doré, Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, and the Hon. Kirk Cox, former Speaker of the House of Delegates and president of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council.
“At Claude Moore Opportunities, we believe that regional collaboration is the most promising way to create career opportunities for more Virginians and meet the healthcare needs of a growing state,” said Dr. Hazel. “We have seen communities all around Virginia embrace our Roadmap for Regional Workforce Partnerships in a really powerful and encouraging way. By investing in flexible career paths and embracing a truly coordinated approach, we can help more Virginians pursue family-sustaining careers and ensure our people get the affordable, accessible care they need.”
The second meeting of the Virginia Partnership for Health Science Careers brought together healthcare workforce stakeholders from around Virginia representing hospital systems, healthcare providers, educational institutions, state and local government, the private sector, and workforce development entities to discuss innovative solutions to Virginia’s healthcare workforce shortage.
After Claude Moore Opportunities and Virginia Works released their Roadmap for Regional Workforce Partnerships, every region of the state has formed or is working to form a healthcare “sector partnership” to address their healthcare workforce needs by aligning education and training resources with their communities’ needs.
Nine sector partnerships across the state will align with the nine regions certified by the GO Virginia regional economic development initiative.
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 all Virginians live in a community without enough primary and behavioral healthcare providers.
About Claude Moore Opportunities
Launched in 2024, Claude Moore Opportunities is a new 501(c)3 public nonprofit organization that will raise and distribute philanthropic funds to support regional and collaborative efforts to expand Virginia’s healthcare workforce and create family-sustaining career opportunities. The independent organization is led by CEO Dr. Bill Hazel, Jr., former Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources under Governors Bob McDonnell and Terry McAuliffe, and governed by an executive board of notable civic, philanthropic, and healthcare leaders from around Virginia. Claude Moore Opportunities will build on the 20 years of healthcare workforce development efforts by the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, which has invested more than $24 million to enable thousands of Virginians to receive healthcare workforce training and credentials through strategic partnerships with public school systems around the state, the Virginia Community College System, George Mason University, INOVA Health System, the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and the Blue Ridge Partnership for Health Science Careers, among others.
