Skip to content
National Fund for Workforce Solutions Logo
  • Donate
  • Login
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Our Equity Statement
    • Our Investors
    • Our Leaders
    • Our Staff
  • Our Network
  • Our Solutions
    • Equip Workers for Success
    • Activate Employers
    • Change Systems
    • Co-Invest for Impact
  • Our Resources
    • Tools
    • Publications
  • CareerSTAT
  • News
    • Press Room
    • Blog
    • COVID-19
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Convenings
    • Past Webinars

CareerSTAT Leaders Help Craft Inclusive Recovery Healthcare Proposal Sent to Congress and the White House

8.17.21  •  by Josh Enoch  •   Press Release

National Healthcare panel of experts identify solutions to issues that must be addressed to build an inclusive care economy infrastructure

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – CareerSTAT leaders, and other members of the Healthcare Industry Recovery Panel formed by the National Skills Coalition and Business Leaders United for Workforce Partnerships, released a five-point policy proposal to inform negotiations around the president’s proposed $400 billion investment in care economy infrastructure under the American Jobs Plan.

Among the 15 members of this panel were CareerSTAT members Gerard Camacho of Atrium Health, Shana Lewis of Trinity Health, Joanne Pokaski of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Debbie Rowe of Genesis Healthcare. The panel called for a set of policies that responds to the growing demand for direct and allied healthcare workers, including expanding access to Pell grants and increasing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates.

“Supporting frontline workers is essential to the mission of CareerSTAT,” said Kelly Aiken, chief program officer at the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, which convenes CareerSTAT. “It was so important to have these leaders’ voices heard,” said Aiken, who also served on the panel, “as they have shown true commitment to investing in frontline workers in their own organizations, and they brought that expertise into these recommendations.”

Before the pandemic, frontline healthcare workers faced myriad problems that were only exacerbated once COVID hit; underpaid labor, lack of access to training, no transparency with regard career advancement. After COVID, many workers left the caring economy for jobs advertising higher pay and lower stress, increasing the already high number of unfilled jobs.

The panel convened to address these challenges and shape proposed investment in the Care Economy infrastructure. They outlined five critical pillars to driving an inclusive care economy, all of which can be viewed here.

  1. Prioritize workforce investments and equity under the American Jobs Plan by including resources to train new and incumbent workers for an expanded caring economy; investing in child care, transportation assistance, and other wrap-around supports; and measuring outcomes with a focus on improving equity and job quality. In particular, providing quality, affordable, and flexible child care is essential given the gender-based occupational segregation of direct and allied healthcare.
  2. Support industry engagement and equitable career pathways across the continuum of care by increasing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates, investing in Multi-Stakeholder Industry Partnerships to support inclusive career pathways, and encouraging state flexibility to support worker advancement and talent pipelines.
  3. Support nimble industry- and worker-responsive training and tuition assistance by funding integrated education and training to build foundational language and math skills; expanding access to Pell grants for high-quality, short-term training; expanding apprenticeship through the bipartisan PARTNERS Act; passing the Pathways to Healthcare Careers Act to support industry targeted training; and funding training provider capacity.
  4. Ensure healthcare workers and employers can adopt and adapt to new innovations by passing the bipartisan Digital Equity Act, investing in new digital literacy upskilling grants, developing a measurable national standard for industry-specific digital upskilling efforts, expanding access to broadband and high-quality devices, and creating a Healthcare Extension Program to help local providers innovate and adopt new technologies.
  5. Incentivize employer investment in worker training and advancement by passing the bipartisan SKILL UP Act and expanding the Section 127 tuition reimbursement program.

In addition to Healthcare, NSC and BLU convened three other recover panels for the following industries: Manufacturing, Infrastructure, and Retail/Hospitality. The Infrastructure panel recently released its recovery proposals and the Manufacturing and Retail/Hospitality panels will release their recommendations in the coming weeks.

 

###

About CareerSTAT

CareerSTAT is a network of healthcare leaders promoting investment in the skills and careers of frontline workers. It supports healthcare organizations in using workforce development programs to increase business impact, improve health outcomes, and provide good jobs. CareerSTAT promotes innovative practices and policies for advancing frontline workers, produces an array of resources on the benefits of skill and career development, recognizes organizations leading the industry as Frontline Healthcare Worker Champions, and supports organizations developing investment programs. CareerSTAT is an initiative of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions. Learn more at http://www.nationalfund.org/careerstat.

About National Fund for Workforce Solutions

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions invests in a dynamic national network of 30+ communities taking a demand-driven, evidence-based approach to workforce development. At the local level, the National Fund’s partner organizations contribute resources, test ideas, collect data, and improve public policies and business practices that help all workers succeed and employers have the talent they need to compete. Learn more at www.NationalFund.org.

Share This Post
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
Linkedin

Recent Posts

  • Buying Local in Newark
  • New Year, New SHIFT Toward Systems Thinking
  • Greensboro Apprenticeship Program Showcases the Power of National Fund Collaboratives

Categories

  • #LIAW
  • Apprenticeships
  • CareerSTAT
  • CareerSTAT Academy
  • Collaboratives
  • Employers
  • Event
  • Financial Wellness
  • Grant Funding
  • Industry Partnership
  • Job Quality
  • Local Investment @ Work
  • News
  • Policy
  • Racial Equity
  • Resource
  • Retail
  • Systems Change
  • Uncategorized
  • Work-Based Learning
  • Worker Success
  • Young Adults

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • July 2015
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Press Room
  • Collaborative Resources
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Let's Connect

Donate

Thank you for your interest in National Fund for Workforce Solutions. You can support us by clicking the donate button below.

Donate

Newsletter

Would you like to receive our monthly newsletter and other related news updates? Click the button below to sign up.

Sign Up

© 2023 National Fund for Workforce Solutions. All rights reserved.

Registered 501(c)(3) EIN 47-5172476

Seattle Website Design by Jordan Crown

  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Our Equity Statement
    • Our Investors
    • Our Leaders
    • Our Staff
  • Our Network
  • Our Solutions
    • Equip Workers for Success
    • Activate Employers
    • Change Systems
    • Co-Invest for Impact
  • Our Resources
    • Tools
    • Publications
  • CareerSTAT
  • News
    • Press Room
    • Blog
    • COVID-19
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Convenings
    • Past Webinars
We believe your data is your property and support your right to privacy and transparency.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT