CHA News

CHA Campaign Advances Solutions for California’s Health Care Workforce Shortages

For CEOs, Government Relations Staff, Workforce Specialists

This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.

In an effort to reinforce to lawmakers the need to address California’s severe health care workforce shortages, CHA just completed a month-long social media campaign to position hospitals’ leadership role in developing the current and future health workforce. Developed as a catalyst for more funding and enactment of key policy recommendations ahead of the state budget deadline in June, the campaign included an opinion editorial issued jointly with the California Primary Care Association, a video produced in collaboration with Sharp HealthCare, and an issue brief developed specifically for state legislators.

CHA’s workforce advocacy campaign also advanced the 27 recommendations made in a recent report from the California Future Health Workforce Commission. Other elements of the campaign — which targeted the Governor, lawmakers and key stakeholders — included promoting CHA’s “faces of the workforce” videos and data related to the health professional shortage. 

The integrated campaign generated more than 60,000 tweet impressions and 46,000 video views.

Even though hospitals devote substantial resources to attract, train and retain health professionals, the state faces a notable shortage of workers to provide primary care, prevention, behavioral health, and geriatric care. The commission’s report, “Meeting the Demand for Health,” recommends spending up to $3 billion over the next 10 years to increase California’s health care workforce by 47,000 professionals by the year 2030. 

The report also outlines the need for a comprehensive, statewide infrastructure designed to educate and produce a steady pipeline of professionals who can care for California’s growing and aging population. It advocates for expanding education and training, increasing diversity, and boosting capacity to ensure California’s health care workforce can meet patient needs into the future, especially in underserved communities.

On behalf of its member hospitals and health systems, CHA supports the commission’s recommendations, which would nearly eliminate the psychiatry shortage by 2030 and address geographic disparities that jeopardize access to care for millions of Californians.