Up to $21.1 million is available for New York’s Health Workforce Retraining Initiative to help train or retrain health industry workers who need new jobs and/or new skills due to changes in the healthcare system. The New York State Departments of Health and Labor are jointly soliciting applications from eligible organizations to train workers to meet the new job requirements in the changing healthcare market.
New York’s healthcare industry faces a number of additional pressures including declining statewide and regional occupancy levels at nursing homes and hospitals, persistent shortage of healthcare workers in a variety of occupations, a growing need to integrate emerging technologies into healthcare delivery systems, and the transition of resources from inpatient and tertiary care to primary care.
There are several categories where training is needed. For example, workers need to be trained and retrained to deal with emerging technologies. Training in this category can include training on new coding systems, training to help upgrade to electronic medical records, and training on new hospital information systems. This program will only support equipment directly associated with training and not equipment to be used for on-going operational activities.
Other categories include training laid-off workers, training in shortage occupations, training for changes in job requirements, training to increase diversity in the workforce, and training in occupations where training opportunities are limited by lack of faculty, clinical instructors, or clinical affiliation slots. The expansion of educational capacity can involve nursing such as MSN programs with educational concentrations or for other occupations where opportunities are limited.
Eligible organizations are general hospitals, long term care facilities, other healthcare facilities, health worker unions, labor management committees, healthcare facility trade associations, and educational institutions.
Applications are due October 9, 2009. An applicant conference will be held on August 27, 2009 in Albany New York. For more information, call Barry Gray, Director Workforce Development, Division of Health Facility Planning, New York State Department of Health, at (518) 473-4700. Copies of the RFA (0907311140) are available at www.nyhealth.gov, or go to www.health.state.ny.us/funding/rfa/0907311140/0907311140.pdf.
