In recent years, health care providers have sounded the alarm about healthcare labor shortages, warning that the problem will have dire consequences for patient care and the collective health of Americans.Shortages have also recently caught the attention of national leaders – just two weeks ago, surgeon Dr Vivek Murthy release A consultation calling on the country to address health worker burnout, a key reason Americans decided to abandon their role in health care. Now, one of the country’s largest healthcare organizations has committed $100 million to combat the crisis.
UnitedHealth Group will invest $100 million over 10 years to build its healthcare workforce, Chief Sustainability Officer Patricia L. Lewis said Wednesday Social Innovation Summit.
According to McKinsey, by 2025 there could be a shortfall of 200,000 to 450,000 registered nurses in the U.S. available to provide direct patient care. Report Released last month.Mercer Research The country also faces an estimated shortage of more than 3.2 million low-wage health care workers, such as nursing aides and home health aides, over the next five years, it said.
UnitedHealth Group invest, produced by the UnitedHealth Foundation, seeks not only to address staff shortages, but the apparent lack of diversity in the healthcare workforce.According to the data, only 22% of black patients and 23% of Hispanic patients have providers of the same race Research From the Urban Institute.
The $100 million investment will sponsor 10,000 clinicians from minority groups who are pursuing or advancing healthcare careers. This is UnitedHealth’s largest charitable commitment ever.
Lewis said the foundation will fund about 5,000 underrepresented students in primary care careers. After four years, students will be able to receive up to $20,000 in educational funding.
The rest of the funding will go to about 5,000 existing health care professionals from underrepresented racial groups looking to advance their careers. The foundation will provide funding to physicians, nurses, medical assistants, mental health professionals and midwives who are seeking additional degrees, certifications or certifications.
“When we think about diversity in the healthcare pipeline, we think about cultural competency,” Lewis said. “This happens when doctors have similar backgrounds to patients. The data and evidence we’ve seen show that they have a better chance of developing very strong relationships in this way because they can relate to the patient’s experience Up, we see better outcomes when that happens.”
Lewis noted that while $100 million might seem like a sizable number, it doesn’t address all of health care’s workforce issues, whether it’s shortages or diversity. She said her company is investing to continue advancing the healthcare worker pipeline so that over the next 10 years, the industry has more professionals who look more like the patients they serve.
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