Governor Hassan Issues Executive Order Creating Commission on Health Care Workforce

Press Release

In order to address the health care workforce shortage facing New Hampshire and ensure that New Hampshire can meet the health care needs of Granite Staters, Governor Maggie Hassan today issued an Executive Order creating the Governor's Commission on Health Care Workforce.

The Governor's commission will bring together experts from nursing, child and elderly care, developmental and long-term services, the broader health care community and education to make recommendations for addressing New Hampshire's short- and long-term health care workforce needs.

"New Hampshire is facing a healthcare workforce shortage in fields ranging from direct care workers to pediatric nurses to psychologists, which is increasingly threatening our ability to meet the health care needs of our citizens and making it harder to provide home- and community-based care to New Hampshire residents," Governor Hassan said. "Addressing this shortage will allow more Granite Staters -- from those who experience disabilities to those living with chronic illness to New Hampshire's seniors -- to stay at home and live independently, increasing choices for our citizens and improving affordability of care."

The fiscally responsible, bipartisan budget compromise enacted by Governor Hassan last September provided resources to the Department of Health and Human Services to examine healthcare workforce shortage issues, and the commission will work with the department to bring forward creative solutions. These efforts will build on pay raises for nurses recently approved in a bipartisan vote by the Governor and Council that has allowed the New Hampshire Hospital to hire nurses for the new crisis unit, and it will complement the Governor's Gateway to Work initiative, which will establish a partnership between the community college system and the business community to create apprenticeship programs in high-need areas such as medical assistants.

The commission will examine short- and long-term needs for health care and direct care workers in New Hampshire. Recommendations to address those needs will include improvements to recruitment methods; education and training practices; rate and payment structure; state rules, regulations and laws; and New Hampshire's loan repayment program.

Dr. Susan Huard, President of Manchester Community College, will chair the commission, whose final report will be due to the Governor by December 15, 2016.

"Nursing and other health care careers are good jobs that are critical to the health and well-being of our people and our economy," Dr. Huard said. "The community college system continues working to offer affordable access to a strong career pathway in these critical fields, including a nursing program partnership with the university system, and I look forward to building on those efforts through this commission's important work."

Other members of the commission are:

Kathy Bizzaro-Thunberg, Executive Vice President of the New Hampshire Hospital Association
Lisa DiMartino, parent of a child receiving long-term care services and support
Jon Eriquezzo, Executive Director of Residential Services at Crotched Mountain
Todd Fahey, State Director of AARP New Hampshire
Dr. Mike Ferrara, Dean of the University of New Hampshire College of Health and Human Services
Margaret Franckhauser, Chief Executive Officer of Central New Hampshire VNA and Hospice
Dr. Yvonne Goldsberry, President of the Endowment for Health
Brenda Howard, Medication Nursing Assistant/Licensed Nursing Assistant at Maplewood Nursing Home of Cheshire County
Dr. Judith Joy, Interim Nurse Executive Director of the New Hampshire Nurses' Association
Joelle Martin, Council for Youths with Chronic Conditions Board Member
Stephanie Pagliuca, Director of Bi-State Recruitment Center
Dennis Powers, Chief Executive Officer of Community Crossroads
Dr. Susan Reeves, Dean of the Colby-Sawyer College School of Health Professions and Gladys A. Burrows Distinguished Professor of Nursing
Deb Scheetz, Health Care Policy specialist at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

Source