Sunday, October 25, 2009

Draft Recommendation - Objectives

The mission of the Authority is accomplished by
  1. providing the statewide infrastructure required for health workforce needs assessment and planning that maintains engagement by health professions training programs in decision-making and program implementation;
  2. establishing a comprehensive advisory structure that sets  serving as the advisory board and setting priorities for the Virginia Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program;
  3. coordinating with and serving as in an advisory capacity a resource to relevant state, regional and local entities; including the Department of Health Professions Workforce Data Center, JLARC, and the Joint Commission on Health Care, the Southwest Virginia Graduate Medical Education Consortium, the Southwest Virginia Health Authority or any similar regional Health Authority that may in the future be developed and legislatively authorized;
  4. informing state and local policy development impacting health care delivery, training and education;
  5. identifying and promoting evidence based strategies for health workforce pipeline development and interdisciplinary health care service models, particularly those affecting rural and other underserved areas; 
  6. supporting communities in their health workforce recruitment and retention efforts and developing partnerships and promoting models of participatory engagement with businesses and community-based and social organizations that to foster the integration of health care training and education; 
  7. advocating for programs that will result in reducing the student debt-load; 
  8. identifying high priority target areas within each region of the Commonwealth and working toward health workforce development initiatives that improve health measurably in those areas; and 
  9. fostering or creating innovative health workforce development models that provide both health and economic benefits to the regions they serve.
Edits made as a result of public comments posted on this blog are in blue.

Please use the comment section to provide us with feedback...do these objectives align with the vision and mission statements?  Are they sufficient in scope and do they accurately reflect the right priorities?  Do you have recommendations for something better?

7 comments:

  1. Suggest the following additions

    Objective 3) To coordinate with and serve in an advisory capacity to relevant state entities, including the Department of Health Professions Workforce Data Center, JLARC, the Joint Commission on Health Care, the Southwest VA Graduate Medical Education Consortium, the SWVa Health Authority or any similar regional Health Authority that may in the future be developed and legislatively authorized.

    Objective 9) To work toward health workforce development initiatives that improve health measurably regionally and/or statewide.

    Objective 10) To Foster or create innovative health workforce development models that provide both health benefits and economic benefits to the regions they serve

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  2. For bullet #1 I would add the phrase “health workforce” before the word planning in the first sentence.



    For bullet #3 I think that the language here is too limiting by restricting coordination and advising to only “relevant state entities” as the correct phrase should be “state, REGIONAL AND LOCAL entities”. I think here of the Historic Triangle Healthcare Workforce group that I serve on and the other regional initiatives.

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  3. For #2, what is the reason for the clause "establishing a comprehensive advisory structure" that sets priorities for the Virginia Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program. Don't we want to say that it will serve as the Advisory Board (or whatever is required by the grant) for the AHECs and set priorities for the AHECs?

    For #3, is it really advisory? Advisory implies some sort of authority. Perhaps a better word would be serves as a resource?

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  4. Under Objectives, item 6: I am not certain what is meant by “social” organizations. Could that be clarified or the term “social” eliminated?

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  5. #3 - I echo Jeff's later comment about education - at various levels (e.g., K-12, post-secondary).

    Denise Konrad

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  6. From one of my faculty:
    1. There should be something in the tasks area about reviewing and defining the needs of the state. I'm a little concerned that there isn't a focus on primary care this time around and I still think there should be.

    2. I also think there should be something about supporting communities who are recruiting physicians/other providers. Some resource (both financial and staff) should be geared to assistance to communities and it should be so stated in the legislation.

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  7. While I agree that primary care is very important and that we want every Virginian to have a primary care home, I am not sure if the phrase should appear in this section. Perhaps the statement that every Virginian should have primary care home should be in the vision statement. Health workforce covers such a wide spectrum though including specialty care that I am not sure if we want to start mentioning specific types of care availability

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