Workforce

About Workforce

California’s shortage of health care workers is severe. Statewide, more than 22% of Californians live in an area without enough primary care providers. There, patients often face a health care system lacking enough nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and others.  California needs to add 500,000 new allied health care professionals such as medical assistants, imaging specialists, and more. Closing the gap will require partnership among employers, workers, policymakers, colleges, licensing entities, and others.

House Passes First Package to Fund Federal Government, Includes Health Provisions

What’s happening: The U.S. House passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, which will fund a portion of the federal government through the end of the fiscal year. The package includes a group of CHA-supported health care provisions important to hospitals.  

What else to know: Congress has until March 22 to pass a second package to fund the rest of the federal government, including the Department of Health and Human Services.  

House Ways and Means Committee Advances Bipartisan Tax Package

What’s happening: The House Ways and Means Committee voted 40-3 last week to advance the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act (TRAFWA) of 2024, which includes provisions that have bipartisan support.  

What else to know: To pay for the package cost, the legislation accelerates the employee retention credit (ERC) claims submission deadline to Jan. 31. The ERC is a refundable tax credit for employers, including hospitals, who kept workers on their payrolls during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

HQI Will Facilitate Community of Practice on Workplace Violence in 2024

What’s happening: The Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) will facilitate a Community of Practice on Eliminating Hospital Workplace Violence from January to December 2024.   

What else to know: The purpose of the Community of Practice is to connect individuals working on the issue of workplace violence in hospitals through a collaborative network designed for peer-to-peer learning and exchange.  

Minimum Wage Advocacy Stretches into Final Hours of Signing Deadline   

The gubernatorial signing deadline for bills passed in California’s 2023 legislative session is a little more than 48 hours away. One piece of legislation still awaiting action is SB 525, a bill that would raise the minimum wage for health care workers and is critical for hospitals to create a stable and predictable path for these increases.