Diverse Group of Healthcare Stakeholders Forms New Coalition to Address Nation’s Healthcare Workforce Shortage Crisis
The group will work with provider community, policymakers, and other stakeholders to develop and advocate for policies to address severe shortfall in nation’s healthcare system.
Washington, DC, October 19, 2023 --(PR.com)-- Today, a group of healthcare stakeholders announced the formation of the Healthcare Workforce Coalition. The coalition aims to unite stakeholders from various disciplines and across the healthcare continuum to advocate for common-sense solutions that address the severe staffing shortage plaguing the nation’s healthcare system. Together, the group will advocate for policies aimed at significantly increasing the number of nurses, physicians, and allied health professionals in the years ahead.
Initial members of the coalition include the American Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals, Shearwater Health, American Society of Nephrology, Vitas Healthcare, Ascend Learning, American Association of International Healthcare Recruitment, MedPro International, National Rural Health Association, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, American Health Care Association, and Avant Healthcare. With a wide array of members, the group’s primary objectives are to:
· Increase Student Enrollment. Expand the capacity of educational programs and improve the academic preparedness of healthcare students.
· Retain Healthcare Workforce. Preserve and retain America’s existing healthcare workforce to address the nation’s healthcare staffing crisis.
· Attract International Skilled Healthcare Workers. Raise awareness of the critical. support provided by international clinicians and nurses in the U.S. through. targeted legislative and policy solutions.
"NHPCO is proud to be a part of the Healthcare Workforce Coalition to address the growing workforce crisis," said Ben Marcantonio, interim CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. "It is of critical importance to focus our combined efforts on policies aimed at educating, retaining, and increasing the number of nurses, physicians, and allied health professionals in the field. Every American deserves access to hospice and palliative care should they choose to receive it, and it is our duty as good stewards to ensure we have a robust workforce ready to meet their needs."
Across the country, no community or sector has been spared the challenges brought about by this staffing crisis – particularly as the population ages and demand for health care services continues to rise. The National Institutes of Health predicts 275,000 additional nurses are needed by 2030 to close the gap. We must double the number of new graduates entering and staying in the nursing workforce every year for the next three years to meet future demand. To add to this startling number, the U.S. needs more than 17,000 additional primary care practitioners, 12,000 dental health practitioners, and 8,200 mental health practitioners, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration, to eliminate the shortage.
Eighty-five percent of healthcare facilities are facing shortages of allied healthcare professionals. These critical providers face violence in the workplace, understaffing, and an aging workforce, leading to burnout and increased turnover rates.
Meanwhile, the nation’s educational pipeline is struggling to fill these gaps, as a lack of academic preparedness is causing students to delay or forgo nursing school, and limited program capacity has forced U.S. nursing schools to turn away 78,191 qualified applications in 2022 alone. There must be a concerted effort to reverse this concerning trend.
“Ascend Learning is pleased to be joining the Healthcare Workforce Coalition and be a part of solving our country’s dire healthcare workforce crisis,” said Sean Burke, President, Healthcare at Ascend Learning, the parent company of ATI Nursing Education and the National Healthcare Association. “As leaders in healthcare education, we are dedicated to growing the pipeline of practice-ready, passionate health professionals entering and staying in the field. We can’t solve this crisis without lifting up the stakeholders training our next generation of healthcare providers, including through investments to bolster enrollment, support faculty, and academically prepare students. The health of our nation depends on it.”
The Coalition is encouraged to see efforts on Capitol Hill, including the Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act and the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, among other proposals to bolster the healthcare workforce. We urge Congress to quickly pass bipartisan solutions that will have a meaningful impact.
Through a strategic, coordinated effort advocating to Congress and the Administration, activating grassroots advocates, and engaging with media, the coalition plans to develop and support common-sense solutions that will solve these critical issues.
To learn more about the Healthcare Workforce Coalition, visit healthcareworkforce.org.
Initial members of the coalition include the American Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals, Shearwater Health, American Society of Nephrology, Vitas Healthcare, Ascend Learning, American Association of International Healthcare Recruitment, MedPro International, National Rural Health Association, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, American Health Care Association, and Avant Healthcare. With a wide array of members, the group’s primary objectives are to:
· Increase Student Enrollment. Expand the capacity of educational programs and improve the academic preparedness of healthcare students.
· Retain Healthcare Workforce. Preserve and retain America’s existing healthcare workforce to address the nation’s healthcare staffing crisis.
· Attract International Skilled Healthcare Workers. Raise awareness of the critical. support provided by international clinicians and nurses in the U.S. through. targeted legislative and policy solutions.
"NHPCO is proud to be a part of the Healthcare Workforce Coalition to address the growing workforce crisis," said Ben Marcantonio, interim CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. "It is of critical importance to focus our combined efforts on policies aimed at educating, retaining, and increasing the number of nurses, physicians, and allied health professionals in the field. Every American deserves access to hospice and palliative care should they choose to receive it, and it is our duty as good stewards to ensure we have a robust workforce ready to meet their needs."
Across the country, no community or sector has been spared the challenges brought about by this staffing crisis – particularly as the population ages and demand for health care services continues to rise. The National Institutes of Health predicts 275,000 additional nurses are needed by 2030 to close the gap. We must double the number of new graduates entering and staying in the nursing workforce every year for the next three years to meet future demand. To add to this startling number, the U.S. needs more than 17,000 additional primary care practitioners, 12,000 dental health practitioners, and 8,200 mental health practitioners, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration, to eliminate the shortage.
Eighty-five percent of healthcare facilities are facing shortages of allied healthcare professionals. These critical providers face violence in the workplace, understaffing, and an aging workforce, leading to burnout and increased turnover rates.
Meanwhile, the nation’s educational pipeline is struggling to fill these gaps, as a lack of academic preparedness is causing students to delay or forgo nursing school, and limited program capacity has forced U.S. nursing schools to turn away 78,191 qualified applications in 2022 alone. There must be a concerted effort to reverse this concerning trend.
“Ascend Learning is pleased to be joining the Healthcare Workforce Coalition and be a part of solving our country’s dire healthcare workforce crisis,” said Sean Burke, President, Healthcare at Ascend Learning, the parent company of ATI Nursing Education and the National Healthcare Association. “As leaders in healthcare education, we are dedicated to growing the pipeline of practice-ready, passionate health professionals entering and staying in the field. We can’t solve this crisis without lifting up the stakeholders training our next generation of healthcare providers, including through investments to bolster enrollment, support faculty, and academically prepare students. The health of our nation depends on it.”
The Coalition is encouraged to see efforts on Capitol Hill, including the Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act and the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, among other proposals to bolster the healthcare workforce. We urge Congress to quickly pass bipartisan solutions that will have a meaningful impact.
Through a strategic, coordinated effort advocating to Congress and the Administration, activating grassroots advocates, and engaging with media, the coalition plans to develop and support common-sense solutions that will solve these critical issues.
To learn more about the Healthcare Workforce Coalition, visit healthcareworkforce.org.
Contact
Healthcare Workforce Coalition
Rebecca Reid
410-212-3843
https://healthcareworkforce.org/
Rebecca Reid
410-212-3843
https://healthcareworkforce.org/
Contact
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