Health Care

Workforce Updates

February 2026

FLPPS Career Pathways Training Programs still enrolling; service commitment sites needed 

Several Career Pathways Training‑eligible education and training programs remain open for enrollment for individuals who can complete their studies by Spring 2027. These include LPN, Associate RN, RN‑to‑BSN, Accelerated BSN, MSW, CASAC, and LMHC programs. FLPPS is also finalizing plans for upcoming Community Health Worker (CHW) training opportunities—more details to follow. Visit healthcareersnow.org/cpt to learn more and share with your teams and networks.

With more than 320 students expected to graduate in the first half of 2026, FLPPS continues to recruit qualified service commitment sites for graduates to complete their required three‑year service commitment. NYS Medicaid‑enrolled providers serving at least 30% Medicaid and/or uninsured individuals may be eligible. Email the CPT Partner Team to learn more about eligibility and becoming a service commitment site.

$5 million annually available for community loan repayment 

The New York State Office of Mental Health has issued a request for proposals for the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program: Mental Health Clinicians. A total of $5 million annually, $15 million over the course of the three-year awards, is available to support a minimum of 500 awards.

The RFP is open to agencies that provide eligible community mental health programs licensed or authorized by OMH and wish to offer student loan repayment to eligible professionals.

Find applications and detailed eligibility criteria in the CMHLRP 2026 MH Clinicians RFP, available here. 

Applications must be submitted electronically to OMH.CMHLRP@omh.ny.gov by March 20, 2026.

Age-friendly public health systems training to focus on elder mistreatment

The next Age-Friendly Public Health Systems Initiative training will take place on February 19th and focus on the Elder Mistreatment Prevention Toolkit for Public Health. The new resource, co-developed by Trust for America’s Health, Education Development Center, and the National Alliance for Caregiving, provides practical guidance and resources to help professionals in public health understand, prevent, and respond to elder mistreatment.

Learn more and register. 

Health Expo coming to Finger Lakes Community College

Finger Lakes Works’ Medical & Health Care Expo, hosted at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua, is seeking additional volunteers for this year’s event. The expo will take place on March 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Students in grades 9-11 from schools in Wayne, Ontario, Yates and Seneca County interested in health careers are encouraged to attend.

The event will include tabling from healthcare organizations and colleges, health career speakers, and hands-on activities. Please see links below for more information.  

https://fingerlakesworks.com/flwwth/

https://fingerlakesworks.com/flwwth/flwwth-volunteer-registration/

Rochester Works offering supervisor training to improve retention and performance--Feb. 9, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Attend a free virtual information session to learn how the RochesterWorks Shift Program can guide you in unlocking your company's potential!

Learn more and register.

Area Health Education webinar offering continuing education--Feb. 24, 12-1 p.m.

The focus for this webinar in the AHEC Building Better Health Series is team-based maternal hypertension care in high-risk populations. It will be presented by Camille A. Clare, MD, MPH, CPE, FACOG, President Elect, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

CEs are available for Social Work, OT, PT, and LMHC. Nursing credits are pending. Email Jason Fulkerson at jfulkerson@r-ahec.org for more information. 

Register.

2026 U of R Department of Medicine Health Equity Symposium--Feb. 26, 2026, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

To be held at the U of R School of Medicine & Dentistry, Class of 1962 Auditorium, Flaum Atrium

Register.

Many thanks to Michael R Privitera, MD MS, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center for sending in the first two articles. 

On turnover’s ticking timeline – surveys show up too late, Atalan

Why leadership development is your best ROI in healthcare workforce retention, Vital Worklife 

Stakeholder summit on New York State’s nursing workforce. The 2025 Stakeholder Summit on New York State’s Nursing Workforce brought together healthcare leaders to address critical staffing challenges, revealing that sustainable solutions require fundamental shifts from traditional recruitment practices to comprehensive workforce cultivation strategies. Read the Stakeholder Summit on New York State's Nursing Workforce Report (PDF)

Please share your health care workforce updates

If you have workforce updates to share, or any feedback or ideas for this newsletter, please contact Melissa Wendland at melissa.wendland@commongroundhealth.org.

Please share this newsletter with others in your organization who might benefit and encourage them to sign up to receive it. 
https://www.commongroundhealth.org/newsletter-sign-up