Health Workforce Study
Virginia Health Care Workforce Development Authority is excited to announce it is conducting a study to examine primary care, behavioral, and nursing health care workforce issues and potential solutions. The Appropriations Act, (Chapter 2, Item 292, H1-2) directs the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (VHWDA) to establish a workgroup to review current and projected health care workforce shortages, as well as clinical and preceptor shortages, and offer recommendations to address these issues. The study is broken out into three Phases.
Phase 1, the Initial Report, will conclude on January 29, 2023, and will comprehensively assess the current state, strengths, gaps, and obstacles for the Commonwealth’s health care workforce, including key deliverables:
- Synthesis of current and projected health care workforce shortages, strengths, and obstacles to addressing the Commonwealth’s issues;
- Physical assessment of existing infrastructure to report on current and future facility needs to meet future program demand;
- Analysis of current regional and statewide coordination capabilities, and recommendations of a governance structure to oversee health care workforce development;
- Comparative landscape study of similar states’ health care workforce ecosystem;
- A resource map that summarizes funding streams that support the health care workforce; and
- Data gap analysis that assesses Virginia’s current health care workforce data.
Deliverable Available: Phase 1, Initial Report
Phase 2, continues with a data approach to examine current resource streams from Commonwealth, federal and private entities as well as investigate regulations as barriers to enter into the health care workforce for a Resources and Regulation Report including:
- Building a resource roadmap
- Gap analysis on additional funding needed to meet the current and anticipated demand for the health care workforce in primary care, behavioral health, identification of leading programs and practices in health care workforce training
- A cost model with base costs and price per student, and a budget to improve the health care workforce in the state
- Recommendations on loan forgiveness programs for health care positions
- Examination of licensure requirements for health care positions
- Recommendations on reciprocity between states for licensed positions
- A review of alternative pathways to licensure for immigrants, veterans, military spouses, and other specialized populations, focusing on primary care, behavioral health, and nursing.
NOW ACCEPTING Proposals to Lead Phase 2: Phase 2 RFP
Applications are due March 22, 2023
Efforts will then culminate in Phase 3 comprehensive final report with any updates to the previous two reports and a strategic implementation plan that includes goals and objectives with measurable outcomes, a detailed roles and responsibilities matrix, an expansion readiness plan, an implementation timeline, communication tools, and proposed executive, legislative, agency or budgetary action.
Deliverable Available By September 2023
Estimated Timeline for Study
- Phase 1, Initial Report due January 29, 2023. COMPLETE. Can be found here
- Phase 2, Resources, Regulation, Legislative Review due June 30, 2023
- Phase 3, Comprehensive Report due by September 2023
