Workforce

About Workforce

The shortage of health care professionals in California is deepening every year and affects every aspect of care. Statewide, more than 11 million people live in an area without enough primary care providers, and according to a UC San Francisco study of the state’s nursing shortage, it will take until 2026 to close the state’s current nursing gap. All told, California needs to add 500,000 new allied health care professionals by 2024 in order to provide needed care. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated health care staffing shortagesMany front-line health care workers have reached their breaking point and are choosing to leave the profession altogether (hundreds of thousands of health care jobs have been lost since the pandemic began).

Rural and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by the scarcity — and there’s a second disparate impact we must address as the state works to rebuild a depleted workforce: According to the California Future Health Workforce Commission, people of color will be a majority of Californians by 2030 but are severely underrepresented in the health care workforce.

Each year hospitals invest millions of dollars in training California’s next generation of health care providers, but closing the massive gaps ahead will require additional long- and short-term solutions:

  • Partnerships among all who recognize the need to protect the health of Californians: employers, workers, policymakers, colleges, licensing entities, and others
  • Public investments in workforce training through college and university programs to both retain current workers and build a pipeline of future professionals
  • Regulatory changes to improve efficiency and transparency in licensing, address limitations on scope of practice, and enhance education and training for nurses and nurse assistants

Members Encouraged to Enroll in Workforce Survey Program 

Attracting and retaining talented employees is a challenge at any time, and the disruption of the pandemic underscores the importance of staying up to date on compensation and human resources trends. To assist hospitals in making informed and strategic hiring decisions, HASD&IC members are asked to enroll in Salarity’s 2022 Allied for Health (AFH) Survey […]

Honoring Our Health Care Heroes

Last Thursday evening, nearly two years to the day since COVID-19 arrived in San Diego, City Council members together with the mayor, hospital representatives, fire-rescue and community members gathered at Balboa Park to honor and celebrate the contributions of health care workers throughout the pandemic. 

5 Things To Know: Workforce Council Meeting, Ambulance Patient Offload Times, Domestic Violence Training

MEDI-CAL MANAGED CARE RFP: On Feb. 9, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) released a request for proposal (RFP) for its commercial Medi-Cal managed care plan (MCP) contracts. While this RFP is only for commercial Medi-Cal MCPs, the updated contract will be executed with all Medi-Cal MCPs, including County Organized Health Systems, Local Initiatives, and […]

Hospitals Making a Difference

What a difference a year makes. Last year around this time, a massive vaccination effort began as COVID-19 shots began rolling out to sites around the country — and it hasn’t really stopped. Although many had been hopeful that the vaccines could help us put the pandemic behind us once and for all, that reality […]

Thanks, and Gratitude for All You Do

Next week, many of us will gather with our families and friends and pause to reflect on all that we are thankful for. For some it might be the food and drink, for some it might be a new member of the family, and for still others it might just be the simple act of […]