AHASI Funds Health Care Workforce Report from Global Data
As workforce shortages continue to be a major pressure point in hospitals throughout the state, AHA's for-profit subsidiary, AHA Services, Inc., commissioned a study and report from Global Data. The report revealed the shortage of health care workers in many specialties is anticipated to continue or worsen over time, as increasing needs continue to exceed the supply of professionals.
The current shortfall of 9,000 registered nurses in Arkansas will not be resolved by 2035 without intervention, and the licensed practical nurse (LPN) workforce would need to grow by an additional 55 LPN full-time employees per year above anticipated status quo growth to maintain current Arkansas use patterns. By 2035, there will be a shortfall of approximately 240 to 580 respiratory therapists to meet the projected demand. Other specialties showing shortfalls include physician assistants, phlebotomists, clinical laboratory technicians, and emergency medical technicians.
In response to this analysis, the AHA is taking the initiative now to advocate for several key strategies to stabilize and grow Arkansas’s health care workforce, including expanding the workforce pipeline for the occupations facing the greatest shortages, building heartier workforce retention programs, developing new models of care, expanding training programs into communities with the greatest need, improving data collection, and advocating for policy changes that will support a more robust pipeline.
Access the full Global Data report here >>
