October 2025 Work Force Newsletter

Health Care

Workforce Updates

October 2025

Webinar to focus on dementia in rural older adults

Working with older adults? This session is for you. The third installment of the Area Health Education Centers Building Better Health webinar series takes place on November 18. Titled Beyond Aging: Recognizing Possible Signs of Dementia in Older Adults in Rural Areas, the session will be presented by Nurse Practitioner Christopher Norman, PhD(c).

Participants will:

• Explore how ageism, cultural differences, and even where someone lives can shape how we see and treat older adults.
• Learn to tell the difference between normal, age-related brain changes and early signs of cognitive decline.
• Get familiar with the common warning signs that may point to developing cognitive impairment.
• Discover helpful national, regional, and local resources available to support caregivers.

Continuing education credits are available for Social Work, OT, PT, LMHC, and SLP professionals.

Learn more or register.

Regional Health Care Workforce Consortium meeting, 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 30
Join us for the next Regional Health Care Workforce Consortium meeting from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 30. We'll hear from Jill Knittel of JK Executives, who will share insights about workforce retention, and Dr. Michael Privitera, who will discuss burnout and workplace violence.

If you'd like attend, contact Kira Jackson, program assistant, for details.

New online course on oral health and dementia

Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's-related dementias can complicate dental care delivery and outcomes. This 60-minute, self-paced course, “Oral Health and Dementia: Strategies to Care for Patients with Cognitive Decline,” equips dental professionals with the tools to recognize and respond to the unique challenges facing individuals with dementia.

The Care Quest Institute for Oral Health course explores verbal and nonverbal communication techniques, treatment planning and how to manage common issues such as dry mouth, periodontal disease, and oral pain.

Earn 1 free ADA CERP credit.

Explore and take the course on your own time.

Promoting honest conversations and cross generational trust in the workplace, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Jan. 6

Do you want to understand more about cross-generational trust, delivering effective feedback, and how to recognize and address entitlement? Leadership Coaching, Inc.’s 20^th annual leaders retreat could be right for you.

• Date: January 6, 2026
• Time: 8:30am-4:00 p.m.
• Location: The Hyatt Regency 125 E. Main Street Rochester, NY

Registration, starting at $275, includes light breakfast, lunch, and program materials.

Learn more or register.

Sponsors, volunteers, and exhibitors wanted for career expo, 7:30 a.m. March 26, 2026

The Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board is hosting a Medical and Health Care Exploration Event on March 26, 2026, at Finger Lakes Community College, and they’re looking for sponsors, volunteers, and exhibitors. Students in grades 9–11 from 26 schools across Wayne, Yates, Seneca, and Ontario counties will be attending. This hands-on expo connects students, job seekers, and community members with exciting career opportunities in the medical and health care fields.

• Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
• Location: Finger Lakes Community College
• Exhibitor setup: 7:30 a.m.
• Student arrival: 8:00 a.m.
• Wrap-up: Around 2:15–2:30 p.m.

Questions? Contact Melissa Card, Director of Youth Employment Services at FLWIB: melissa@fingerlakesworks.com | 585-500-5673

Learn more or register.

Doctors and nurses are punched, choked, even shot. States want to stop that. This news report from Stateline examines how some states are beefing up security requirements while hospitals look at launching their own police forces.

Mental health and substance use challenges facing the United States: What can state policymakers do? This special issue of The Milbank Quarterly is divided into four broad categories: The challenges of mental health services access, financing, and workforce supply; the challenges of opioid use, overdose deaths, and suicide; how Medicaid addresses mental health and substance use challenges, and; challenges posed by the regulation of consumer products.

Targeting rural health care workforce investments by tracking the Local distribution of Medicaid primary care providers As states prepare proposals for the newly launched Rural Health Transformation Program, they need a clear understanding of the workforce available to serve these populations. This article from the Millbank Memorial Fund explains how the U.S. Medicaid Primary Care Workforce Tracker can help. 

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