Over a 3-month, iterative process drawing on past strategic planning efforts, current IHN members, key constituent discussions, and staff participation, the IHN Board of Directors has identified six key areas for focus in FY2020-FY2021. As part of its effort to strengthen the safety net, the IHN will focus on building IHN’s internal infrastructure, deepening our work to coordinate access to care, scaling our infrastructure based in the criminal justice system, promoting stabilization in the community health workforce, accelerating health equity for underserved populations, and aligning health sector priorities in regional collective impact efforts.
Workforce Initiatives
What It Is
A strong, efficient network of safety net providers requires a plentiful supply of highly
qualified medical professionals working in primary, behavioral and specialty care
settings. Stabilizing and developing that workforce requires a regional strategy that
includes:
- Training current and future staff on cultural competencies, health equity and
trauma informed care - Elevating and amplifying the needs of low-income patients
- Aligning academic research agendas to the needs and priorities of community
healthcare providers - Designing interventions that support the healthcare workforce at IHN member
organizations and in settings that serve low-income patients - Convening IHN member organizations and focus resources to improve
insufficiency workforce issues
Developing specific, cross-sector workforce recruitment and retention strategies that defines the provider and non-provider workforce needs for the region with attention to creating community health worker apprenticeships and hiring medical assistants and registered medical assistants, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, registration clerks and biller/coders
IHN promotes workforce stabalization and development in the healthcare safety net through the following approaches:
- Systems approach to recruit and retain safety net workforce
- Pipeline to Compassionate Care
- Community Health Worker Workforce Partnership