The UCSF HWRC has released a new report, discussing pressing workforce issues with policy leaders, and sharing our research to support a health care workforce that is prepared to meet the growing long-term care needs of the aging U.S. population.
New Report Examines the Workforce that Provides Adult Protective Services
UCSF Health Workforce Research Center authors Tim Bates, MPH, and Susan Chapman, PhD, RN have published their report: Supporting the Adult Protective Services Workforce. Adult protective services investigations entail a complex scope of work that requires assessment of social, behavioral, and medical issues, as well as legal issues having to do with self-determination and possible criminality.
This report summarizes key workforce issues including educational preparation and post-employment training opportunities, the role of interdisciplinary teams, the need for frontline workers’ access to expert consultation, a lack of dedicated funding to support APS, and high rates of staff turnover.
HWRC Directors come together to co-author NEJM article on scope of practice laws
All seven of the Health Workforce Research Center directors from across the U.S., including our own Joanne Spetz, PhD, collaborated with Peter Buerhaus, PhD, RN, director of the Montana State University Center for Interdisciplinary Health Workforce Studies to write a perspective piece published in the New England Journal of Medicine on restrictive scope of practice laws for health professionals. The article discusses the importance of modernizing scope of practice laws in a way that prioritizes the patients and that will allow the U.S. to achieve health care transformation. Bianca Frogner, PhD, lead author of the article, was also interviewed for a podcast published by the journal.
HWRC Faculty Presents to the San Francisco Long Term Care Coordinating Council
HWRC faculty member Laura Wagner, PhD, RN, was invited to provide a special lecture, "Healthcare Workforce Research in Long Term Care," to the San Francisco Long Term Care Coordinating Council (LTCCC), which advises the Mayor and City on policy, planning, and service delivery issues for older adults and people with disabilities to promote an integrated and accessible long-term care system. The health workforce is one of the Policy and Project areas of the LTCCC for 2019-2020, in recognition that long-term care workforce needs to be in place to meet the needs of older adults and people with disabilities.
24th Annual Insure the Uninsured Project Examines the Health Care Delivery System and Workforce
The Insure the Uninsured Project held its 24th Annual Conference in February. HWRC Director Joanne Spetz, PhD, presented on a panel on “The Workforce Needs of a Transformed Health Care System.” The two-day conference highlighted the steps California is taking to improve health care and coverage in the state and sought to identify policy opportunities to improve the health of Californians.
Highlighting the Importance of First-Generation-to-College Health Professionals
Laura Wagner, PhD, RN, faculty with the HWRC, published a blog post on Why First-Gen Health Professionals are Essential to Improving our Nation's Health Care for the Center for First-Generation Student Success. She writes, “Given the substantial racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare and the specific challenges in caring for those in underserved settings, combined with the evidence that concordant care can improve outcomes; one way to bridge this gap is by increasing the number of first-gen health care professionals in the pipeline.” The post also describes the work that Laura is doing within the UCSF School of Nursing to support first-generation-to-college nursing students.
HWRC Collaborator Jason Flatt Joins the Faculty of UNLV
Jason Flatt, PhD, who has been part of the UCSF HWRC since 2016, has joined the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Public Health as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Social and Behavioral Program, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. He is also still affiliated with UCSF and our HWRC. We wish Jason luck in his new position and look forward to our ongoing collaboration!
Laura Wagner Joins the Board of Directors of Local Nonprofit Retirement Community
Laura Wagner, PhD, RN, has joined the Board of Directors at Heritage on the Marina, a nonprofit retirement community that is owned and operated by the San Francisco Ladies’ Protection and Relief Society. Laura has been an active member of the community’s health committee and will contribute to the development and maintenance of strategies to support the health and well-being of community residents.
Recent Publications from UCSF HWRC-LTC Investigators
Frogner, BK, Fraher, EP, Spetz, J, Pittman, P, Moore, J, Beck, AJ, Armstrong, D, Buerhaus, PI. Modernizing Scope-of-Practice Regulations – Time to Prioritize Patients. New England Journal of Medicine, February 13, 2020, 382: 591-593.
Ko, M, Newcomer, R, Bindman, AB, Kang, T, Hulett, D, Spetz, J. Changing home care aides: Differences between family and non-family care in California Medicaid home and community-based services. Home Health Care Services Quarterly, 2020, 39 (1): 1-16 (online Dec 11, 2019).
Wagner, L, Alderson, A, Spetz, J. Admission of First Generation to College Nursing Students. Journal of Professional Nursing, 2020, online February 6.
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