Health Care

Workforce Updates

January 1, 2026

One program, two impacts: FLPPS Career Pathways Training program 

The FLPPS Career Pathways Training (CPT) program continues to gain momentum in the Finger Lakes with more than 1,900 participants enrolled through FLPPS—and counting! The program provides tuition assistance, mentoring, career coaching, and job placement for those looking to start or advance a career in health, behavioral health, or social care. Learn more at healthcareersnow.org/cpt and share with your teams and networks.

At the same time, the program supports employers by connecting them with trained, job-ready graduates. To date, 140 qualified service commitment sites in our region are partnering with the program, helping participants complete their service commitment while addressing workforce needs. Join the growing network of qualified service commitment sites! NYS Medicaid-enrolled providers serving 30% or more Medicaid or uninsured individuals can email the FLPPS Partner Team to learn more.

Earn a certificate in equity & justice gerontology

The Association for Aging and USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology have partnered to offer online certificate programs that strengthen your knowledge of today’s aging society.

The Equity & Justice in Gerontology certificate program explores equity, justice and the social contract in aging—examining how policies, culture and power shape later-life experiences and why these expectations aren’t met equally across communities. Participants will learn to analyze aging systems through a justice-centered lens and identify strategies to build a more inclusive and sustainable social contract for older adults.

This program is open for enrollment for the Winter 2025–2026 semester, along with the Ageism & Culture in Gerontology and Innovation & Social Impact in Gerontology certificate programs. Each program runs from Jan. 19–March 20, 2026.

Enroll by Jan. 13, 2026.

New CareQuest Institute for Oral Health learning management system is live!

CareQuest's new learning management system, or LMS, is now available! Part of an updated CareQuest Institute website, it offers a more robust, user-friendly, and engaging way to access our growing catalog of educational resources.

Find it here.

Because this is a new system, all learners must create a new account to access educational activities and track future learning. To help you register and navigate their suite of oral health continuing education, CareQuest has compiled a list of FAQs.

Building Better Health webinar series--Jan. 15, 12-1 p.m. ET

The next webinar in the Area Health Education Center Building Better Health Series takes place January 15, 2026, from 12 p.m.–1 p.m. The focus for this session is Addressing Poverty in Healthcare presented by Rebecca Evansky, Executive Director of the Wellness Collaborative of New York, IPA.

CEs available for Social Work, OT, PT, LMHC, and SLP.

Email Jason Fulkerson at jfulkerson@r-ahec.org for more information.

Register here.

Addressing medical emergencies in dentistry--Jan. 22, 7-8 p.m. ET

Join CareQuest Institute on Thursday, January 22 from 7–8 p.m. ET for a webinar to review the most dangerous medical emergencies oral health professionals should be prepared to manage. This course is eligible for 1 free CE credit.

Register now!  

Common Ground Health Community Health and Engagement opportunities--Jan. 27, Feb. 10.

It's a new year and we're starting off strong! Common Ground Health's Community Health and Engagement team has professional development opportunities to help you meet your goals and strengthen your community.

If you're a clinician, your effectiveness depends on both what you notice and the meanings you give to what you notice. In this in-person session, Dr. Henry Gregory and Maisha Gregory Davis, LCSW-C, will help attendees sharpen their skills in working with Black families in clinical settings, helping participants more clearly see and name racial trauma as well as to recognize and support resiliency. The workshop, taking place on January 27, 2026 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Register here.

The Healers' Village is a home for culturally responsive healing and wellness approaches and practices for people of the African Diaspora. Its mission is to create an ecosystem of wellness for Black people where they can find, achieve, and maintain their ultimate wellness as they define it. It is in that spirit that it is hosting a gathering of Black healers to share updates on what is happening in the community, discuss supports needed within the Black healer community, and learn about opportunities to engage with The Healers' Village. February 10, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. Register here.

All of these opportunities are free and meals will be provided. All you need to do is register and show up! 

Greater Rochester Quality Council free webinar: Beyond the leadership pipeline. Rethinking succession planning for critical and high-potential talent--Jan. 28, 12-1 p.m. ET

• Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026
• Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m. EST
• Location: On-line via Zoom

This session explores how organizations can expand succession planning beyond the leadership pipeline to intentionally develop key individual contributors. By connecting skills-based talent strategies to career pathways and employee development planning, attendees will learn how to identify critical roles, surface future-ready skills, and create meaningful growth pathways for employees who may not aspire to people leadership.

Tim Lippincott is Vice President of People Strategy at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. He brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in human resources and leadership, with prior roles at Verizon Communications and Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.

Can’t make it live but interested in the content?  All registered attendees get a link to the recording after the session.

Register here.

FLX AI Hub Webinar Series, Feb. 10 and Mar. 10

The FLX AI Hub at FLCC is a space for developing, deploying, and democratizing AI tools and practices that foster educational innovation, economic growth, and community empowerment across the Finger Lakes. Launched in June 2025, the hub makes AI accessible for education, workforce training, and local businesses.

There are two upcoming opportunities, each webinars to be held on Zoom and last 30 to 40 minutes, followed by a question-and-answer session.

• Feb. 10: Virtual Roundtable: Building Perspective with AI Personas
• March 10: NotebookLM: Summarize, Analyze, and Create in Seconds

Each will be recorded and shared on the college’s YouTube channel and the Finger Lakes TV network at fingerlakestv.org.

Learn more and register.

Did That Just Happen?!: Beyond "Diversity"-Creating Sustainable and Inclusive Organizations by Dr. Stephanie Pinder-Amaker & Dr. Lauren Wadsworth, Beacon Press, 2021/22. 

Physician Shortage in Rural Areas of the U.S. Worsened Since 2017, Barbara Ficarra, URMC, November 2025.

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