As challenges like substance use disorder and suicidal ideation persist, Hawaii continues attempts to reform its behavioral health system. Leaders in the field met at the 2024 Hawaii State of Reform Health Policy Conference to discuss some solutions, like tackling long wait times to see providers and addressing provider burnout. Jennifer Siatafu, director of behavioral … Read more
The Illinois Rural Health Association (IRHA) held a webinar last week highlighting different in-demand health careers that require an associate degree. Margaret Vaughn, executive director of IRHA, said the association wanted to inform young students and people looking for a career change of the wide variety of healthcare jobs they can pursue. “Everyone knows just … Read more
Hawaii’s legislative session kicked off in January, and political insiders met at the 2024 Hawaii State of Reform Health Policy Conference to highlight last year’s successes and goals for the new session, including strengthening the state’s healthcare workforce. Beth England, MD, chair of the Hawaii Medical Association Public Policy Committee, said the goal of the … Read more
Health industry leaders said health data collection and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) could improve health outcomes at the 2024 Hawaii State of Reform Health Policy Conference. Peter Lewis, vice president and chief information security officer at Hawaii Pacific Health, said AI technologies enable computers to receive information that can solve issues in a … Read more
Experts discussed ways to increase affordable housing in Hawaii at the 2024 Hawaii State of Reform Health Policy Conference. They discussed challenges related to the permitting process, as well as legislation related to the cause. Josh Wisch is president and executive director of Hololuma Collective, which works to keep Hawaii’s working families in the state. … Read more
The second regular session of Alaska’s 33rd legislature began on Jan. 16th, and a variety of health-related bills have been introduced or carried over from last year. Within health policy, lawmakers are focusing on many issues including workforce, health coverage, and prescription medicine therapy. Below are some key healthcare-related bills to keep an eye on … Read more
In December, the Texas Hospital Association (THA) and Texas Nurses Association (TNA) released a Workplace Violence Prevention Toolkit, which is meant to help healthcare facilities protect their workers. The toolkit outlines four different types of violence in the healthcare setting: patient-on-worker violence, worker-on-worker violence, personal relationship violence (where the perpetrator has a relationship with their … Read more
Arizona currently has a total of 722 health professional shortage areas, which spans 395 facilities. A central priority for the Arizona healthcare sector is retaining the healthcare workforce, which was a topic of discussion at the 2023 Arizona State of Reform Health Policy Conference. Workforce leaders discussed retention issues and strategies for recruiting young students. … Read more
The Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) has identified several factors contributing to an unprecedented healthcare workforce staffing crisis, and is working to address them. The THA worked with its subsidiary, the Tennessee Center for Health Workforce Development, to conduct a study on healthcare staffing projections through 2035. The study, which was released in October 2022, projects … Read more
A new educational center in Knoxville will train students to work in numerous positions, supporting Tennessee’s healthcare workforce. Roane State Community College and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Knoxville broke ground on the Knox Regional Health Science Education Center during a ceremony on Aug. 1st. Several lawmakers and healthcare leaders spoke … Read more