Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has announced the 15 individuals to serve on the Healthcare Workforce Commission, including the chief nursing officer at Piedmont Augusta.
Kemp created the commission by executive order on April 21. He announced the members on June 24.
“Our healthcare heroes have been through it all during the pandemic, and we thank them immensely for the sacrifices made and dedication shown,” said Kemp. “To ensure the future health of Georgians and Georgia’s healthcare system, it is imperative for the public and private sector to come together and examine current needs and identify strategies for workforce recruitment and retention.”
Janee Dock at Piedmont Augusta said she was glad to be selected to serve on the commission. She has been a nurse for 19 years and is now in nursing administration.
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“I can see the current effects of not having that healthcare workforce and the impact that it has, not only on our organizations, but on the patients that we see. But it also worries me about the future. And us being able to sustain and being able to provide that care,” she said.
Worldwide, the World Health Organization estimates a projected shortfall of 18 million health workers by 2030.
Dock said the shortages have existed for several years, but the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem.
“Emergency medicine, we had shortages of the EMTs, and the ambulances, and some of those allied health professionals, all the way down to our PCAs, and techs at distribution, and supply techs. The COVID-19 pandemic really expanded those shortages during that time. And we just haven’t bounced back to even where we were before COVID-19,” she said.
In his order, Kemp specifically mentioned the existing pipelines to bring people into healthcare professions. He also wants the commission to create new pipeline.
Dock agreed.
“So, it’s really important to really look at how do we create pipelines? If we have pipelines already, how do we grow them and increase them? How do we get the talent into our healthcare industry that we need? And then how do we retain what we get so that we can continue to care for our community? Because that’s really what it’s all about, how do we continue to care for our patients?”
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Kemp wants the commission to also examine the education opportunities in the state with an eye to possibly expanding education program capacity and clinical placements along with scholarships and loan forgiveness.
On January 15, Augusta Tech president Dr. Jermaine Whirl and James Davis, CEO of Piedmont Augusta signed a letter of intent whereby Augusta Tech will move its School of Health Sciences to Piedmont’s hospital in Summerville.
Dock said partnerships like that bring an awareness to healthcare staffing needs and how people can enter the field.
“How can we partner with the schools and education systems, to help them on a career trajectory or career path, to grow their career in the healthcare workforce and continue to grow and be something else? I mean, the opportunities with the partnerships with the education system are just, I mean, it’s amazing to think about everything that can come out of doing these types of partnerships together,” Dock said.
The commission has not yet scheduled its first meeting. Kemp said he wants recommendations by the end of this year.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
