Association of Academic Health Centers calls for national plan to recruit, retain health care workers

The Association of Academic Health Centers on Thursday during a briefing said that the federal government needs to help develop a national plan to recruit and retain health care workers to meet increased demand as the U.S. population ages, Cox/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Tseng, Cox/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/18).

At the briefing, panelists cited nursing and geriatrics as specific areas that require more workers (Blair Wyckoff, CQ HealthBeat, 7/17). AAHC said that education costs, a shortage of teaching faculty and different licensing standards among states have limited efforts to recruit and retain health care workers (Cox/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/18).

According to AAHC, as current health care workers reach retirement age, the shortage will worsen. AAHC recommended that the federal government, states, public and private groups, and the health care industry partner to devise a plan to address the issue, which could "erode our position as a leader in world health," Steven Wartman, president and CEO of the association, said (CQ HealthBeat, 7/17).

A summary of the report is available online.