California, Colorado, Missouri, Wyoming and 10 other states have joined a National Governors Association program to grow and retain the healthcare workforce.
The Next Generation of the Healthcare Workforce Learning Collaborative, launched by the National Governors Association's Center for Best Practices, will support state officials in implementing strategies to combat a healthcare worker shortage caused by various factors, including an aging workforce and clinicians leaving their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the program website.
During the six- to nine-month project, California, Colorado, Missouri and Wyoming will "assess their current operating environment, share successes and best practices, learn from national, state and local experts, exchange ideas with other states, and develop and execute an action plan to achieve program and policy change based on state-identified goals," the website said.
Ten other states — Alabama, Connecticut, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin — are participating in the Next Gen Knowledge Exchange Network with the learning collaborative states. Those states will be able to access learning collaborative resources and discussions.
"Every state is facing health workforce challenges, and the pandemic has revealed how quickly the challenge can become a crisis when the system is strained — especially for rural communities," Timothy Blute, director of the National Governors Association Center, said in an April 28 news release. "Governors are leading on this critical issue, and we look forward to working with states to develop and share creative solutions."
The learning collaborative will publish findings and recommendations later in 2022, according to the release.
To learn more about the collaborative, click here.