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Crain’s New York Business

The health care worker shortage that gained steam during the pandemic has continued relentlessly, driven by low pay, despite the state pouring billions into health workforce development in recent years.

The pandemic decimated the supply of nurses, social workers and other clinicians as workers left the epicenter in New York for more competitive salaries and less demanding roles in other fields or in other states. While the public health crisis has subsided, poor wages have persisted in many of those roles, making them notoriously hard to fill and keep, according to a new report from the Center for Health Workforce Studies at SUNY Albany.

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WRGB CBS 6 News, Albany

CAPITAL REGION, NY (WRGB) — New York health facilities continue to face challenges in hiring and retaining staff following a new study.

The Center for Health Workforce Studies latest report showed upstate New York struggled to hire and retain registered nurses, medical technicians, lab techs, and surgical techs.

The Iroquois Healthcare Association (IHA) based in Clifton Park was one of the agencies surveyed.

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WRGB CBS 6 News, Albany

Elisabeth Dubois and her parents say they’ve faced ongoing challenges in finding caregivers for her grandfather, Morris Wheeler…

…But that isn’t the case for most- a new report from the Center for Health Workforce Studies found nurse aides are the most difficult occupations to retain in Upstate New York.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, New York saw an increase in home health aides in 2023 up slightly from 2022.

However, it doesn’t mean they’re staying on the job…

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Crain’s New York Business

Nurse practitioners employed by New York State are suing the Department of Civil Service over alleged pay discrimination in a field dominated by women making far less than their physician counterparts.

The vast majority of nurse practitioners are women. In 2021, 92% were female statewide, according to the Center for Health Workforce Studies at SUNY Albany. By contrast, only 40% of active physicians in New York State in 2020 were female, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The number of nurse practitioners in New York has increased in recent years. The state issued more than 4,000 licenses in 2023, a 57% increase from 2019, according to data from the state Education Department. Close to half the 32,000 nurse practitioners in the state specialize in family health, with a plurality in adult health, psychiatry, pediatrics and acute care, the data show.

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Spectrum News

Nurses at Albany Medical Center, supported by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), held a picketing event last month to protest ongoing staffing shortages and contract disputes.

The demonstration comes amid new research from the Center for Health Workforce Studies in partnership with the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, which highlights burnout and inadequate training for new graduates as critical factors contributing to New York’s nursing shortage.

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Globe Newswire

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Sept. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The College of Professional Studies at Syracuse University and MedCerts proudly announce a new partnership focused on delivering innovative, accessible learning opportunities.  Together, they will introduce specialized programs in the healthcare and information technology spaces tailored to meet the demands of today’s workforce.

According to the Center for Health Workforce Studies, Syracuse, like many regions, is experiencing significant challenges in maintaining an adequate healthcare workforce. With this in mind, MedCerts and the College of Professional Studies have come together to introduce novel and specialized programs in the healthcare and information technology spaces – tailored specifically to meet the demands of today’s workforce. These new programs, which include MedCerts’ Healthcare IT Technician, Electronic Health Records Specialist and Medical Billing Specialist certification training programs, are precisely designed to equip individuals who have a high school diploma with the skills needed to secure stable and well compensated jobs in these in-demand fields.

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Axios

A fix to chronic health care worker shortages could be taking shape in some high schools across the country.

…Technical education programs focused on health care have been around in the United States since at least the 1950s. But interest and investment tend to ebb and flow with workforce shortages, said Jean Moore, director of the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the State University of New York at Albany.

“When shortages are extreme, people begin to say, ‘Maybe we should start letting people know about opportunities early on.'”

“By 2036, the U.S. will be short more than 337,000 nurses, 88,000 addiction counselors, 62,000 physicians, and 5,000 pharmacists, according to the federal government.

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Spectrum News

A recent study by the University at Albany highlights significant gaps in oral health services across New York state, identifying 31 high-need areas, primarily in rural regions. The research, conducted by the Center for Health Workforce Studies, analyzed 15 sociodemographic indicators to assess needs across all age groups.

Dr. Jean Moore, the study’s lead researcher, noted that the biggest barriers include the ratio of dental professionals to the population and the availability of services for Medicaid patients and the uninsured.

“We looked at indicators related to the population, disability, pregnancy, and education level,” Moore said.

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MSN

(The Center Square) — Hundreds of New York health care workers will be getting a free ride to state colleges this year as part of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s agenda to boost the state’s workforce.

The Hochul administration announced on Monday that 500 applicants have been selected to receive the New York State Health Care Workers for Our Future Scholarship. The scholarship will cover tuition, room and board for a two-year degree at any of the State University of New York’s campuses if the applicants commit to working in an “underserved” area for two years after graduation…

…New York is among many states experiencing higher-than-normal levels of staffing shortages in health care, specifically at hospitals, nursing homes and ambulatory care, according to a recent report by the Center for Health Workforce Studies.

“The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions to New York’s health care delivery system as well as its workforce,” the report’s authors wrote. “While the immediate pandemic impacts on health care delivery have dissipated, there have been persistent challenges that have affected the state’s health care workforce.”

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