April 2023 Work Force Newsletter

Health Care

Workforce Updates

April 2023

Request from the Regional Consortium on Health Care Workforce

We are working to compile an inventory of efforts aimed at improving recruitment and training of health care workers in the 9-county Finger Lakes region. The inventory covers the spectrum from middle/high school outreach, career and technical education, community college and university programs, to employer-based programs and recent ARPA-funded projects. This information will help to inform community partners of each other's work to build and strengthen partnerships, and will identify gaps in opportunities.

To have your program included in the inventory, please reach out to Melissa Pennise.

Applications for NYS licensed social worker loan forgiveness program are due April 13

The NYS Licensed Social Worker Loan Forgiveness (LSWLF) Program is offered to increase the number of licensed social workers working in critical human service areas, including but not limited to the following fields: home care, health, mental health, substance abuse, aging, HIV/AIDS and child welfare or communities with multilingual needs.

The maximum award under this program is $26,000 or the applicant's actual eligible student loan indebtedness, whichever is less. Awards will be paid in the amount of $6,500 for each annual period of qualified service completed or the remaining loan indebtedness. 

Click here to review eligibility criteria and to access the application.

Chamber offers Fundamentals of Diversity series

Greater Rochester Chamber is offering Fundamentals of Diversity. Sessions will be held on April 12, 19 and 26 at 8 - 9:30 a.m. This training builds knowledge and skills toward creating a strong and sustainable climate of inclusion in your organization. This series will be offered again in June.

Click here to register.

Monroe County Medical Society offers medical practice front desk training

Medical Practice Front Desk Success will be presented virtually on April 12 at 1 - 4 p.m. This basic-level course explains the scope of medical front office operations. Participants will learn how their connection with patients can have dramatic results, and how to relay financial policies and maintain security standards. Difficult communication scenarios and practice workflow challenges will also be addressed.

Click here to register.

SUNY Corning Community College offers workforce training resources

SUNY CCC’s Workforce Education & Academic Pathways (WEAP) Team offers a variety of professional development and training programs.

Building Powerful Teams - In this course participants will learn about team functionality and individual preferences with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding of individual and team style preferences. Sessions will be held on Tuesdays April 11 and 18 at 10 a.m. - noon via Zoom.

Non-profit Management training will be offered on Thursdays at 9 a.m. - noon between April 13 and June 15 via Zoom. This training is designed for staff seeking to transition into a managerial capacity, new supervisors, and supervisors seeking to improve their effectiveness. The cost is $675. 

16th Annual Caring for Elders Geriatric Teaching Day to be held on April 19

Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center will host its annual Caring for Elders Geriatric Teaching Day on April 19 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. via Zoom. Topics covered include: older adults and substance misuse, digital equity, depression assessment and intervention, and the current health care crisis impacting post-acute care.

Click here to view the agenda, and click here to register.

Join us for Speak Life! 2023 Health Equity Conference

Taking place both in person and online from 8:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Thursday, April 27, ¡Acción ahora! / Action now! aims to unite, teach, reach, and motivate community members to take action toward healing and moving forward in hope. 

The 2023 Speak Life! Health Equity Conference will focus on Latino health as a lens to look at health equity for all people of color in the Finger Lakes. We will explore how language is a barrier to health care and other social determinants of health and see how that impacts equitable health outcomes.

Join us as a Speak Life! Sponsor to help build stronger, more just, and healthier communities - and celebrate with us as we honor Community Equity Champions.

Click here for more information and to register.

Applications are open for the National Health Service Corps loan repayment program 

The application window for three National Health Service Corps (NHSC) loan repayment programs is open until April 25. Click the image below to explore the various options and eligibility requirements.

National Academies to host 2-day workforce roundtable

The National Academies' Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness will convene a public workshop April 27-28 to explore issues related to supporting and sustaining the interdisciplinary workforce to care for people with serious illness.

This event will be accessible via webinar or in person in Washington D.C. 

Variety of training resources available from UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence 

Starting in April, two types of trainings are available to provide guidance on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Treatment Seeking (CBT-TS), an evidence-based technique to encourage help seeking among those in need.

• CBT 101 + CBT-TS - delivered in four weekly 1-hour sessions, starting on the first Monday of the month. This training begins with the fundamental skills for delivering Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Peers and other non-clinical staff may benefit from this course. Training includes methods to encourage help-seeking behavior among those in need of treatment.
• CBT-TS - delivered in a single, 1-hour session on the first Friday of each month. This training is created for those who are comfortable with the basics of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This may include, but is not limited to, physicians, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and pharmacists.

Click here to register for the CBT sessions.

The Center also offers no cost educational modules that carry continuing education credits. Topics include: integrating substance use disorder (SUD) treatment in primary care, SBIRT - screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment, the growing Hepatitis C virus epidemic, and more.

Click here to access the full list of offerings.

ROCTalent Summit to be held on May 2

The ROCTalent Summit, "People. Performance. Promoting Belonging." will be held on May 2 at 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m at the Doubletree by Hilton in Henrietta. Pete Blank, author, intentional leadership and motivational speaker will deliver the keynote address, "Strategic Talent Development = Successful Employee Retention." Other speakers include Kesha Carter and Elizabeth Meeker from CCSI, and Fernan Cepero from The Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce.

Click here to learn more and to register.

Local Exploring Racism groups forming in May 

A new Exploring Racism Group is beginning in May. Exploring Racism Groups provide an opportunity for organizational leaders to grow in their knowledge about racism, understand their own biases and perspectives, and become an antiracist by taking action to promote racial justice, and to break down the structures of racism in their own spheres of influence.

The program is offered in 12 90-minute facilitated sessions and cover a variety of issues including:

• Bias, prejudice and self-deception
• Black experiences of life
• White experiences of life
• Recognizing forms of racism
• Anti-racism engagement

There is no fee for participation. Click here to learn more and to register.

Another session will be offered in October.

Suicide prevention workshop offered for rural providers

The UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence, with funding from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) partnered with SafeSide Prevention to provide a free workshop focused on suicide prevention training for service providers in rural communities. Content is designed for service providers in rural communities, with highlights on suicide prevention for youth, substance use, and Indigenous or Tribal communities.

Workshops are offered at noon - 3:30 p.m. on May 23 and July 25. 

Click here to learn more and to register.

UR announces new career pathways program for employees

University of Rochester has recently announced a new Career Pathways Program to promote employees' long-term careers at UR. The program focuses on placing individuals in high-demand positions and supporting them by identifying a career pathway within the University of Rochester, leading to opportunities for higher earning potential. Participants have access to skill development opportunities, career navigation and coaching services, and advanced tuition payment for positions requiring an academic degree.

A wide range of healthcare-related positions are identified in this opportunity, including: histotechnologists (lab assistants), phlebotomists, LPNs, RNs, respiratory therapists, surgical technologists, medical assistants, dental assistants, and more.

Click here to learn more.

Council on Graduate Medical Education reports on rural health workforce 

Published in April 2022, the 24th report of the Council on Graduate Medical Education made a series of recommendations to address the rural health care workforce and improve rural health outcomes. Recommendations include:

• Federal funding for a comprehensive assessment of rural health needs to identify gaps in essential care.
• Federal training investments should link graduate medical education funding to population health needs.
• The Department of Health and Human Services should invest in sustainable solutions that focus on building a stable health care workforce in rural communities. 
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should test sustainable alternative payment models that enhance the delivery of team-based education and practice.

The full report is available here. 

Save the date - Understanding and Improving Healthcare Quality and National Healthcare Policy - Cracking the Code on Healthcare event to be held June 9 

Is it safe to get healthcare? If yes, why do over a quarter of a million people die each year from medical errors? Do patients really understand the risks, how quality is measured and what each patient needs to do to be safe and keep others safe?  What is  the National Healthcare Strategy and what are the implications of the mid-term elections and near-term elections?

Join hundreds of local healthcare leaders coming together from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, June 9 at the DoubleTree Rochester to network, learn about these topics, and be inspired by some of the smartest, most innovative, provocative National Healthcare Thought Leaders in the nation. The distinguished speakers for this event are:

• Dr. Dana Gelb Safran, ScM and ScD Health Policy and Management, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Quality Forum (NQF)
• Blair Childs, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Premier

Click here to learn more. 

Tables of 10 or individual seats are available for purchase. Click here to register.

Call Linda Becker at 585-738-7397 for sponsorship opportunities.

Presented by Northstar Network.

Save the dates - Eleversity's Women of Color Summit

Save the dates: The 2023 Women of Color Summit will be held at virtually at 9 - 11:30 a.m. on July 20, 27, and August 3. This year's theme is I.C.U. - Intentionality, Commitment, and Urgency: Pushing the Needle Forward and Upward. This summit will provide an uplifting environment for, by and about women of color that promotes equity, education and professional development. 

Please share your health care workforce updates

If you have a training opportunity or workforce update you'd like us to share, you can send it to melissa.pennise@commongroundhealth.org, and we will add it to the next newsletter.

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