Multiple states are taking efforts to build the healthcare workforce with training and certification programs.
An analysis from media outlet KFF earlier this year showed that more than 80% of nursing homes would not meet the requirements in the final staffing mandate from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should it be in effect already. And as nursing homes try to do so, senior living and home care providers could be affected, because they recruit from the same pool of workers as nursing homes.
In Hawaii, Gov. Josh Green, MD (D) signed into law a week ago 22 pieces of legislation meant to bolster the Aloha State’s healthcare industry, community support systems and healthcare workforce development.
Among those measures, HB 1827 “addresses the pressing need for a robust healthcare workforce in Hawaii,” according to the State Legislature. This legislation appropriates funds to the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and Department of Education to support healthcare workforce development programs, such as the High School Health Care Workforce Certificate Program, classroom renovations for healthcare training, and the Glidepath Program for Certified Nurse Aides.
Across the country, New Jersey is accepting applications now through July 31 for its state-sponsored Home- and Community-Based Services Provider Loan Redemption Program. The program is administered through the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Human Services and New Jersey Department of Children and Families.
Under the program, eligible applicants may receive up to $50,000 in student loan redemption in exchange for agreeing to work for a minimum of 12 months at an approved HCBS provider agency or as a self-directed employee.
And a package of bills pending in Pennsylvania, known collectively as Grow PA, would direct funds to students who pursue high-demand careers in Pennsylvania, including those in healthcare. The idea is to entice young people to stay in the Keystone State as they launch their careers.
“Like California, Illinois and New York, Pennsylvania suffers from a well-documented outmigration problem, whereby more people move out of the state than in. In 13 of the previous 14 years, Pennsylvania experienced a net loss in population,” reported the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal.
The program would subsidize qualifying students in fields such as healthcare who choose to attend a Pennsylvania technical school, community college or four-year university. In exchange for a $5,000 grant per year, recipients would agree to live and work in that industry in Pennsylvania after graduation.
