The Virginia Health Care Workforce Implementation Grant

Mission

The mission of the Authority is to facilitate the development of a statewide health

professions pipeline that identifies, educates, recruits, and retains a diverse, appropriately

geographically distributed and culturally competent quality workforce.

Core Functions

The mission of the Authority is accomplished through:(i) providing the statewide infrastructure required for health

workforce needs assessment and planning that maintains engagement by health professions training programs in decision making and program implementation;

(ii) serving as the advisory board and setting priorities for the Virginia Area Health Education Centers Program;

(iii) coordinating with and serving as a resource to relevant state, regional, and local entities including the Department of Health Professions Workforce Data Center, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, the Joint Commission on Health Care, the Southwest Virginia Health Authority, or any similar regional health authority that may be developed;

Core Functions

(iv) informing state and local policy development as it pertains to health care delivery, training, and education;

(v) identifying and promoting evidence-based strategies for health workforce pipeline development and interdisciplinary health care service models, particularly those affecting rural and other underserved areas;

(vi) supporting communities in their health workforce recruitment and retention efforts and developing partnerships and promoting models of participatory engagement with business and community-based and social organizations to foster integration of health care training and education;

Core Functions

(vi) advocating for programs that will result in reducing the debt load of newly trained health professionals;

(vii)identifying high priority target areas within each region of the Commonwealth and working toward health workforce development initiatives that improve health measurably in those areas; and

(viii)fostering or creating innovative health workforce development models that provide both health and economic benefits to the regions they serve.

We Won!

VIRGINIA AWARDED A $1.93 MILLION STATE HEALTH WORKFORCE

IMPLEMENTATION GRANT

Partners

• Virginia Department of Health Professions• Virginia Workforce Council (VWC)• Virginia Health Care Foundation• Virginia Area Health Education Centers• Virginia Community Health Care Association• Virginia Academy of Family Physicians 

Organizational Chart

Goal 1

To set up the statewide infrastructure required for health workforce needs assessment and planning that maintains engagement by health professions training programs in decision making and program implementation.

• Objective 1: To establish the VHWDA as a sustainable public-private partnership.

Challenge/Lesson Learned: The Infamous Chicken-Egg Problem

Goal 1

To set up the statewide infrastructure required for health workforce needs assessment and planning that maintains engagement by health professions training programs in decision making and program implementation.

• Objective 2: To establish the Virginia Health Careers Student Registry into a comprehensive registry of all Virginia students with an interest in health careers. Grow Your Own!

Goal 1

To set up the statewide infrastructure required for health workforce needs assessment and planning that maintains engagement by health professions training programs in decision making and program implementation.

• Objective 3: To expand the scope of the annual Choose Virginia Conference to include all students and residents with an interest in primary care, helping them to “Choose Virginia! A Healthy Place to live and work!”

Goal 2

To encourage regional partnerships that address health workforce pipeline development needs and promote innovative health care workforce career pathway activities.

• Objective 1: To identify High Priority Target Areas (HPTAs) within each region of the Commonwealth.

Goal 2

To encourage regional partnerships that address health workforce pipeline development needs and promote innovative health care workforce career pathway activities.

• Objective 2: To identify and convene regional leadership to discuss opportunities to better leverage and align existing state, regional and local programs and activities to support regional health workforce pipeline development initiatives that are designed to have a measurable impact on HPTAs.

Goal 2

To encourage regional partnerships that address health workforce pipeline development needs and promote innovative health care workforce career pathway activities.

• Objective 3: To make available funds for regional planning and implementation grants to encourage leaders at the regional level to develop partnerships to address the workforce issues in HPTAs and that result in health workforce development initiatives that improve health status and outcomes in those areas.

Goal 2

To encourage regional partnerships that address health workforce pipeline development needs and promote innovative health care workforce career pathway activities.

• Objective 4: To capture, package and disseminate best practices and effective regional initiatives throughout Virginia and the nation. PHOTOVOICE!

Anticipated Outcomes and Impacts

• Increase the primary care health care workforce FTEs by between ten to twenty-five percent over ten years;

• Improve the geographical distribution and diversity of a culturally and linguistically competent health care workforce to areas within the Commonwealth where they are most needed; and

Anticipated Outcomes and Impacts

• Reduce hospital admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions as measured by Prevention Quality Indicators (PQIs) and health care expenditures within regional HPTAs, ultimately improving the disability adjusted life years (a measure of disease burden), for Virginians residing in regional HPTAs.

For More Information

Kathy Hsu Wibberly, Ph.D.

Director, Division of Primary Care and Rural HealthVirginia Department of Health

Office of Minority Health and Health Equity804.864.7426

Kathy.Wibberly@vdh.virginia.gov

Keisha L. Smith, MPA

Health Workforce Program ManagerVirginia Department of Health

Office of Minority Health and Health Equity804.864.7431

Keisha.Smith@vdh.virginia.gov