On October 19, 2021, the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy sent a letter urging Governor Hochul to to sign A.3050 (Fahy)/ S.3543 (Stavisky) to generate health workforce data that would inform and improve health planning, access, and emergency preparedness. In the wake of a pandemic and the certainty of future outbreaks, this bill should be signed into law as soon as possible.
This bill would amend the Education Law to require certain licensed health professionals to provide, and the State Education Department to collect, information about the practice of their professions. This proposal will improve policymakers’ ability to understand and strengthen the state’s health workforce by generating new and much-needed information about where and how professionals practice.
There is an urgent need for workforce data and analysis that can help us better understand the supply and distribution of the state’s health professionals as the State works to:
- Respond to current and emerging public health threats, including COVID-19 and future outbreaks;
- Strengthen vital Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education services for young children with developmental disabilities or delays; and
- Improve access to behavioral and primary health care.
This type of data—demographics, education, and practice characteristics—is urgently needed to support a systematic approach to health workforce analysis that can inform programs and policies to address critical health workforce shortages, maldistribution, and diversity across the state.
This information is urgently needed now and in the future. The bill is a critical step toward informing policies and programs concerning the state’s health workforce and strengthening New York’s public health preparedness.
Recent Comments