Against the backdrop of national trends, Alabama’s legislative commission is exploring ways to fill the shortages that have occurred in the state’s health care worker pool in recent years.
About 20% of the healthcare workforce has been out of the field since the outbreak of the pandemic, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In Alabama, this trend has impacted many specific jobs, including certified nursing assistants, EMTs, paramedics, and certified nurses in nursing homes.
In recent months, Alabama’s Health Workers Task Force has been meeting to consider ways to streamline connections between college students, college students, and employers.
The task force was created by Alabama’s 2022 Senate. Senate Joint Resolution 62.
The task force’s most recent meeting, held on November 17, included increasing efforts to work with the Alabama Dental Association to introduce programs in rural areas of the state, as well as consulting and other health care professions. It contained one firm recommendation, such as discussing additional efforts.
Greg Didonato EBSCO Information Services was one of the speakers at the conference.
Didonato has scrutinized college student data and worked with state colleges and college apprenticeship offices to develop an ongoing database designed to provide a database of job opportunities across the state in targeted health care jobs. I talked about the pilot’s efforts.
According to DiDonato, the goal is to have the database up and running in the first quarter of 2023.
“We’re looking at student data,” says DiDonato. “The ultimate goal is to expand the opportunities that can be found outside traditional employment partnerships. We aim to expand that opportunity.”
While online job boards regularly provide listings of open vacancies, Didonato says the pilot database project will result in a more comprehensive, better organized, and more user-friendly listing of open vacancies. It will be created.
The meeting included a discussion of what state agencies and higher education officials can do to make better use of federal funding for the development of health workers within Alabama.
A report shared at the conference showed that federal funding is being missed within Alabama for a number of reasons, including a lack of cooperation and resources within the state government.
According to the task force, the goal is to conduct a large-scale review of how opportunities for health workers can be enhanced, especially as certain health professions are inherently dependent on others. .
“The amount of work that has been done in the last few months and the amount of work that has been completed is astounding,” the senator said. April WeaverR-Brierfield chairing the task force.
As outlined in SJR62, the Task Force plans to hold meetings over the next few years (at least until 2026). The panel is tasked with preparing an annual report to the Legislature on its findings, conclusions, and possible legislative recommendations.
Reprinted with permission of Center Square.
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