Virtually all fields of the health workforce have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Different states and health organizations responded to these challenges using a variety of different strategies and adjustments. The pandemic has also highlighted the need for a strong health workforce. This article summarizes the other articles in the research supplement and…
A key goal of health reform in the US is to improve population health through expanded access to health insurance. Demand for high-quality, cost-effective, basic health services is anticipated to grow, particularly for underserved populations. However, there is also growing concern about the impact of health professions scope of practice on access, quality, and cost…
Health care workers are at increased risk of emotional distress during a health crisis because they shoulder the burden of the public’s trauma as well as their own. Unfortunately, mental health services for health care workers during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic are often insufficient and more research is needed to understand what strategies…
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted existing structural racism that widened gaps in access to care and health outcomes, disproportionately affecting racial and ethnic minorities. Research has shown that a racially and ethnically diverse workforce can be instrumental in addressing disparities. Lack of diversity in the public health workforce can occur from several factors, including underrepresentation of…
The Indian Health Service (IHS) provides federal healthcare that his specific to the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population. Because the vast majority of AI/ANs do not belong to federally recognized tribes and other factors limiting the accessibility of IHS services, a better understanding of how AI/ANs obtain healthcare outside the IHS is needed. This brief…
The State Health Workforce Data Collection Inventory describes findings from a survey about data collection on health workforce supply (eg, demographic, education, and practice characteristics of health professionals), demand (eg, vacancies and employer recruitment and retention difficulties), and the education pipeline (eg, graduation rates and trainee/graduate characteristics). The data collection survey is ongoing and the…
Registered nursing is one of the largest licensed health care professions in the US, and the registered nurse (RN) workforce continues to grow. However, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had significant impacts on the RN workforce as well as the RN educational pipeline. In 2020 a series of questions about COVID-19 was added to annual…
Older adults increasingly experience social isolation, anxiety, and depression due to the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Marriage and family therapists as well as mental health counselors are essential for meeting the behavioral health needs of older adults, but their services are not covered by Medicare. This article describes current Medicare legislation when it…
Buprenorphine has been shown to be effective for treating opioid use disorder and can be prescribed in an office setting by nurse practitioners and physician assistants who have a federal waiver. However, buprenorphine is underutilized nationally, particularly in rural areas. This article describes the results of an online survey that was distributed to a random…
Despite evidence supporting the integration of pharmacists in team-based primary care, little evidence exists on the colocation of pharmacists with primary care physicians (PCPs) in the United States and even less information exists on the factors associated with these models in primary care. Increasing the colocation of pharmacists and PCPs gives practitioners greater ability to…
