NEW: Langevin Pushes for Job Creation in Health Care Fields
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) is encouraging local government officials and Rhode Island’s health care community to apply for workforce grants announced today by the Obama Administration. The Health Care Innovation Challenge allocates $1 billion for projects that test creative ways to deliver services and lower costs, with priority given to qualifying proposals that would lead to the quick hiring of workers.
As co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus, Langevin praised the effort’s emphasis on workforce development. He has highlighted the health care sector as a key area in which we must close the gap between industry needs and the skills the labor force possesses. Despite steady job growth, even during the recession, shortages are projected in critical health care fields, including nurses, doctors and other professionals, both in and out of the clinical setting.
“The constant need for innovation in health care provides tremendous job creation opportunities, but we can only reap the full economic and health benefits of new ideas if we train a workforce with the skills to execute them,” said Langevin. “I applaud the Administration for specifically seeking applicants that come up with new models of workforce development, and demonstrate the ability to produce more workers who can excel in expanding industries. It is important for the economic growth of our state that government and health care organizations in Rhode Island pursue this funding opportunity, and I look forward to supporting their efforts.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTLangevin recently held a series of events throughout the state to address the workforce needs of the health care industry. He highlighted areas with the potential to expand and boost the economy, such as nursing, physical therapy and health care information technology. Conversations with administrators, employers, educators and workers addressed the challenges of finding employees with particular skill sets and creating training programs that match the needs of the job market.
Funded by the Affordable Care Act, the Health Care Innovation Challenge will award grants in March to applicants with the most compelling new ideas to deliver better health, improved care and lower costs to people enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, particularly those with the highest health care needs. The Challenge is designed to promote projects that can begin within six months. Applications are open to providers, payers, local government, community-based organizations and particularly to public-private partnerships and multi-payer approaches.
The Department of Health and Human Services stresses that priority will be given to submissions based on three key elements:
Workforce Development and Deployment: Proposed models should include the development and/or deployment of health care workers in new, innovative ways. The review process will favor innovative proposals that demonstrate the ability to create the workforce of the future.
Speed to Implementation: All proposed models must be operational or capable of rapid expansion within six months.
Model Sustainability: All proposals are expected to define a clear pathway to sustainability, and should consider scalability and diffusion of the proposed model.
Awards are expected to range from approximately $1 million to $30 million over three years. Each grantee project will be evaluated and monitored for measurable improvements in quality of care and savings generated. Applicants must use www.grants.gov to submit a letter of intent by December 19, 2011, and their full materials by January 27, 2012.
