Health Workforce Development Council

To help alleviate workforce shortages in California’s health sector, the California Workforce Investment Board (the State Board)established the Health Workforce Development Council (HWDC) in August 2010.  The HWDC will be a broad partnership consisting of industry representatives, education, economic development, elected officials, the public workforce system, philanthropic organizations, community-based organizations, health professional and advocacy organizations and organized labor.   Its mission is to help expand California’s health workforce in order to provide access to quality healthcare for all Californians.  This includes the objective of expanding California’s full-time primary care workforce by 10 to 25 percent over 10 years.

The HWDC is tasked with understanding the current and future health workforce needs of California and with developing a comprehensive strategy to meet those needs.  Health workforce development issues will be addressed by the HWDC through strategic actions at the state, regional, and local levels by understanding, assessing and acting on the training and education, skill development, and capacity and expansion needs of the Health Sector.  The HWDC functions as a special committee of the State Board and staff support for the Council will be provided by the State Board and the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD).  HWDC meetings, the first of which is anticipated to occur in early to mid-October in Sacramento, will be open to the public along with agendas, presentations, and other materials presented.

• HWDC Member Roster 
• HWDC’s One Page Business Plan
• Meeting Materials and Presentations 
• Funding Opportunities-Accomplishments
• Other Significant Events 

Action Plan Ad Hoc Committee

The California Workforce Investment Board (State Board), at the direction of the Health Workforce Development Council’s (Health Council) Action Plan Ad Hoc Committee (Committee) is providing a comment period for the Committee’s Action Plans.  Comment periods will occur in two phases. This phased approach is to ensure a comment period is provided for all action plans, as they are available, until a week prior to Health Council meeting scheduled for late March/early April 2012. 

The first phase will be from February 22 through March 9. 2012 and includes the following action plans:

• Clinical Lab Scientist 
• Medical Assistant 
• Nursing 
• Physician Assistant 
• Primary Care Physician 
• Public Health 
• Social Work 
• Crosscutting – Cultural Responsiveness and Sensitivity 
• Crosscutting – Data Clearinghouse 
• Crosscutting – Education 
Crosscutting – Recruitment and Retention

Action plans may be accessed by clicking the titles above. Comments may be submitted to: Discuss.Issues@cwib.ca.gov.  When providing comments we ask that you provide the name of the profession/crosscutting issue and the page in the document which you are referencing.

Background

At the December 14, 2011 Health Council meeting, the membership requested the formation of the Action Plan Ad Hoc Committee (Committee).  The purpose of the Committee was to:

• Assist the Health Council in moving recommendations gathered as a part of federal Health Care Workforce Development Planning grant into action and implementation
• Solidify the infrastructure for California’s healthcare workforce
• Utilize the recommendations to establish implementation leads and plan
• Confirm the overarching Mission of the Health Council

The Committee was comprised of Health Council members and other interested stakeholders.  The Committee met three times during January and February 2012.  As a result of those meetings, draft action plans were developed for the health professions and crosscutting issues listed above.

The Committee acknowledged that there are a broad array of stakeholders throughout California that have been examining these occupations and issues.  The Health Council requested the State Board provide an opportunity for broad public comment on its Action Plans.  This will give entities that have similar efforts underway an opportunity to provide comments to help ensure California has the benefit of these efforts.

The action plans will be presented at the next Health Council meeting. 

Career Pathway Sub-Committee

The California Workforce Investment Board (State Board), in concert with the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), is convening a sub-committee of its Health Workforce Development Council called the Career Pathway Sub-Committee (Committee).  The Committee is comprised a cross-section of educational system representatives, employers, workforce development professionals, advocacy and professional associations, and researchers.  The Committee is charged with developing statewide planning recommendations that address the following six areas:

• Existing and potential health career pathways that may increase access to primary care
• Existing education and training capacity and infrastructure to accommodate the career pathways needed to increase access to primary care
• Academic and healthcare industry skill standards for high school graduation, entry into postsecondary education, and         various credentials and licensure
• Availability of career information and guidance counseling to existing and potential health professions students and residents
• Big picture issues around recruitment, retention, attrition, transfer, articulation and curricular disconnects, and the identification of policies needed to facilitate the progress of students between education segments in California
• Need for pilot/demonstration projects in eligible health personnel categories, or new health personnel categories

Career Pathway Sub-Committee Final Report