RX for an Economy in Recovery: Moving Good Practice to Scale

Published in the May/June issue of Solutions, published by Workforce Marketing:

As our country works its way out of the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression, one sector of the economy is a source of the good jobs we desperately need: health care.

The nation has created over 500,000 new health care jobs since December 2007. The Bureau of Labor Statistics now foresees a need for 50 percent more home health aides by 2018, 46 percent more personal and home care aides, at least 20 percent more nurses, and the list goes on.

Without strong action hospitals, health centers, and other care providers are unlikely to find enough qualified workers. The lack of qualified workers in this sector threatens the quality and availability of care, and it limits the economic potential of local communities throughout the country.

Reversing this trend requires fresh ideas about how we educate and reward frontline workers. We can begin by looking at three innovative strategies that have helped advance workers, supported the bottom line of the businesses that employ them, and improved the quality of care.

Full article on page 4 of the May/June issue of Solutions.