Texas’ Healthcare Workforce Task Force is up and running and set to release its final report Oct. 1.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) directed the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to create the body in April “to provide opportunities and remove barriers that exist to expand healthcare programs at institutions and provide students with the tools necessary to succeed in this field in Texas.”
A chair and 64 subject matter experts subsequently were appointed to serve as inaugural advisory members of the task force, which includes representation from long-term care.
The Texas Assisted Living Association “is thrilled to see Texas engaging in healthcare workforce challenges in a very meaningful way,” TALA President and CEO Diana Martinez told the McKnight’s Business Daily on Friday. “The depth of knowledge of the members on the task force and the advisory committee will ensure that the issue is examined from conventional and unconventional perspectives,” she added.
Martinez said she was “especially pleased” that one task force member will bring a focus on senior living and care to the effort. One of the task force’s members is Donovan Dekowski, CEO of Wellsential Health, a Victoria, TX-based nonprofit company that provides skilled nursing, memory care, hospice, palliative care, therapy and rehabilitation.
“We are all aware of the increasing need for workers in the senior living industry. Rethinking how to attract new workers is critical,” Martinez said.
LeadingAge Texas, likewise, said it approves of the task force’s membership and is “grateful to see representatives from each region of Texas and hope[s] to work with the task force’s members on the creation of thoughtful policy to address the current workforce shortage — especially in long-term care communities,” a spokesperson said Friday.
“LeadingAge members consistently staff at the highest levels in the state, yet recruiting and retaining direct care staff has been a longstanding challenge. The creation of the workgroup marks a positive step forward in engaging our institutions of higher education to create sustainable workforce pipelines,” the spokesperson continued.
Task force members will meet monthly and will gather insights from state agency experts and additional healthcare stakeholders throughout Texas.
“This highly qualified group of experts, industry leaders and individuals from Texas’ top-tier higher education institutions will ensure Texas can expand our healthcare workforce to meet the needs of all Texans for generations to come,” the governor said.
Additionally, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission opened up a no-cost full training program for certified nursing assistants this year, in part to help skilled nursing providers meet upcoming federal minimum staffing requirements.
George Linial, president and CEO of LeadingAge Texas, told McKnight’s in May that the state’s skilled nursing facilities will need to hire 1,600 new registered nurses — and find the funding to do so.
