Baltimore hospitals want to create up to 1,000 new positions for Maryland residents and have proposed a program to do so.
Here are five things to know about the initiative, called the Health Employment Program.
1. Hospital systems backing the program include the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System, MedStar Health, Mercy Health Services and the University of Maryland Medical System.
2. It is aimed at Baltimore neighborhoods facing poverty and high unemployment. "We are collectively the largest private-sector employer and we thought we could really make a push to stand up a meaningful number of jobs," Ronald R. Peterson, president of the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System, said, according to The Baltimore Sun. "The primary purpose is to give people with relatively low educational attainment an entry-level job, and then give people the chance to move up over time if they so desire."
3. The jobs created could range from cleaning floors and transporting patients to assisting people with health insurance, according to The Baltimore Sun.
4. The hospital systems are seeking a small rate increase from the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission, a state regulatory body that sets prices for health care at Maryland hospitals, to pay for the program. Specifically, the systems are asking for changes to HSCRC regulations that would lead to an increase of approximately $2.50 per $1,000 of current hospital charges, generating as much as $40 million annually to support new entry-level positions and job training.
5. The proposal to the HSCRC asks that the program start Jan. 1, 2016.
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