When you’re trying to learn more about the health workforce, you may want to search the Health Workforce Information Center. February marks the one year anniversary of the launch of the center, a free online library of health workforce resources funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). If you haven’t already made use of our website or reference services to find statistics, funding, program ideas, or other information, check it out http://www.healthworkforceinfo.org/.
Archive for February, 2010
February 27, 2010
Obama’s Health Summit: Not a Quadruple or Even a Triple Lutz
Was anything accomplished at President Obama’s health care summit on Thursday? Some policy wonks did not even turn on the TV, so interest is apparently lagging at this point. Who calls a summit in the middle of the Olympics, when any accomplishment pales in comparison to the thrill of watching snowboarders, skiers, Apolo Ohno or the South Korean skating queen?
Much time was spent on niceties and posturing on bipartisanship (mostly that health care costs money), and very little on substance (except that health care costs money). The president is still not clear on what he stands for (except that health care costs money) even though he put forth a slightly modified version of the Senate bill as his plan. Americans want to know about being cared for–not about money. The President did not have a clear message about why the Congress should pass legislation that is not a true overhaul of the system.
The President has a messaging problem; the Republicans do not. The Republicans are saying “start over.” The other simplistic Republican answer–medical malpractice reform– also came across more clearly than the President’s analysis of the costs of insurance premiums. The President spent too much time on the intricacies of lawmaking, turning the summit into a high school civics class.
The American people want the President to be stronger–to say that health care is a right and that the President will not negotiate on that issue and will only work toward legislation that covers and protects all Americans and does not put money in the pockets of health insurers. Only Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, with his analogy of insurers to sharks, brought clarity –and some emotion–to the day.
Americans don’t want to hear about the market based approach to health care, words that the President used too often. Americans know that’s what got us to the place where we are today. Such rhetoric breeds fear not favor in the hearts of most Americans. The President is having a hard time with the message because his legislation does not back up the promise of the campaign.
Some credit must be given to the summit participants who sat for 7 hours in THOSE CHAIRS–typical uncomfortable seating for weddings or bar mitzvahs when half the time is spent on the dance floor. No wonder nothing happened.
February 5, 2010
President Obama: Focus on Jobs in the Health Workforce
President Obama –and the Congress for that matter–need to focus on JOBS in the HEALTH WORKFORCE. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the health sector ranks high among the areas that will provide the greatest number of new jobs over the next decade. Four million jobs will be created in the health care sector will be a leader in producing new jobs, including high-skill, high-paying jobs like doctors and nurses. Among the top ten occupations needed will be: Registered nurses, home health aides, personal and home care aides, and nursing aides, orderlies and attendants.
With the aging baby boomer population, the need for a greater number of trained people in the health professions goes well beyond nurses and home care workers. Shortages across the professions will be exacerbated by the retirement of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists and other professionals. In 2004, 23 percent of licensed pharmacists, for example, indicated they were leaving the profession within the year and 80 percent of pharmacy directors said they would leave within the decade. Substantial retirements of faculty in all schools of the health professions add to the problem.
With the overwhelming need for a health workforce for the nation, President Obama should be focusing his Jobs Initiative on education and innovative training programs for the health workforce. President Obama should be looking for ways to provide incentives to academic health centers and their health professions schools for new ideas and innovative ways to develop a quality health workforce in a short time frame.
One way is to receive funding and other incentives to create new career ladders for those people who are already employed within the health system and want to raise their skill levels and receive education in one of the more-skilled professions (and this can include the myriad allied health, imaging, medical records and IT jobs that are critical to the system).
There should also be funding to health professions schools to create innovative, perhaps fast tracked, retraining programs for the thousands of people who are losing their jobs in America’s dying manufacturing industries.
The Obama Administration needs to look beyond small business and the green industries with regard to JOBS. The health workforce should be the priority when it comes to jobs.
