Workplan 2008 - 2009
The Forum will complete a review of health occupation workforce data and recommendations and submit a Fall 2009 report to the Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control, Office of Rural Health and Primary care, and the State Health Plan Advisory Council on Health System Development. This work will involve:
- Providing the leadership around how Maine can best address its health workforce shortages – what are the best ways to educate, recruit and train people to fill these health care jobs and advise the Governor and Legislature employers, educators and others about these strategies.
- The collection and analysis of available workforce data. For example, how many nurses do we need, where are the shortages the greatest, are there other ways to address these needs?
- Hold regular meetings to bring stakeholders together, such as the community colleges and universities, the employers, the professional associations, and facilitate and promote collaboration and partnerships across different sectors. For example, community colleges and our universities need to hear and understand the employers’ needs and make sure that their programs are geared to meeting those needs. We need to make sure that we are training our students for the right jobs.
- Identify strategies that meet immediate and long-term needs and are informed by experience,
- The Forum needs to plan – the solution to this problem is long term and we need to know that we are moving in the right direction in ways that work.
- Raise awareness by communicating across stakeholder organizations and educating Maine’s policymakers and the people of the state about health workforce needs. For example, Maine students or dislocated workers need to hear of the need and how they might best finance their education.
- Establish the appropriate focus on workforce availability and quality as an important aspect of access to health care and an opportunity for Maine people. Many of the health care jobs where there are shortages are considered high wage and high demand jobs.
- Great opportunities exist within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to build up our capacity as a state to train Maine people, whether they are a graduating high school senior thinking of going to medical school, or a dislocated worker returning to school to become a radiologist, to take on these positions that will not only meet their needs for employment, but also help the state meet its goals of improving the health of all Maine people
