Final
Overview of Health Care Workforce Issues

HEALTH CARE TASK FORCE

Votes:
Action Taken:
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09:05 AM -- Overview of Health Care Workforce Issues in Colorado

Sue Carperelli, President and CEO of the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence, and a member of the State Workforce Development Council, distributed a packet of materials (Attachments A - D). Attachment A provides an overview of the Center for Nursing Excellence and summarizes several projects that the Center is involved in related to workforce shortage issues. Attachment B summarizes a study that was undertaken to examine the nursing workforce shortage. Attachment C overviews strategies for nursing faculty development. Attachment D is a brochure that looks at labor market information in the health care fields.

Ms. Carperelli stated that her short presentation would: 1) provide insights regarding critical factors which impact both the need and the ability to produce a sufficient supply of health care workers in Colorado; 2) emphasize the link between health occupations workforce development and the economic vitality of communities across the state; 3) underscore the exacting nature of work performed by health care professionals; and 4) highlight solution building efforts that are being built and sustained through effective public private collaboration in Colorado. Ms. Carperelli stated that significant shortages exist in the health care arena in all parts of the state, and these shortages are projected to grow over the next 15 years, especially in nursing. She added that 1 in 10 Coloradans work within the health care industry, and that health care will create more jobs than any other sector in the next decade. Some factors leading to this shortage include the number of providers nearing the age of retirement with not enough younger workers to replace these retiring workers, and the increasing aging population that will increase the need for health care in the future.




Ms. Carperelli discussed health care preparation programs in higher education and the needs of these programs. She stated that there must be a viable and accessible higher education system in order to train health care workers. This is a challenge, especially in the rural areas. She added that there are a limited number of factors that influence increases and decreases in the workforce. These include: worker education; compensation; work conditions; and migration and retirement factors. She discussed the need for long term strategies that are sustainable over time, adding that solutions must be created to meet community-specific needs and conditions, and innovation and change must be involved. Collaborative approaches among industry stakeholders, between industry and the public sector, and between practice and education with involvement of the foundation community and others are required. She talked about pipeline efforts being made in education, and partnerships between the Colorado Department of Labor and industry, which are resulting in a significant increase in enrollment numbers in higher education.

She stated that the agenda for the day would address pipeline issues, work environment issues, and others. She offered the resources and expertise of the Colorado Workforce Council to the committee. Ms. Carperelli responded to a question about how efforts of recruiting in areas that are under-represented are going, stating that education in student's the early years, work with school counselors to guide students into the field, mentorship programs for students in higher education, and support of practicing nurses as mentors is critical. A lot must and can be done to increase participation of a diverse group of individuals in the health profession. Representative Frangas asked Ms. Carperelli to provide any written suggestions that she has to the committee.

Senator Keller asked whether there are programs for certified nurse assistant (CNA) training, for example that allow a student to learn the program while still in school. Ms. Carperelli stated that there are in the form of school to career programs. She talked about how funding for school to career programs has diminished. She addressed mentor programs, specifically the Lamplighter Program where practical nurses reach out to students waiting to be admitted to nursing programs. Then once the student is in school, the practical nurses encourage them and even provide some tutoring.