• Feature Story: Futuro Health CEO Attends World Health Organization Forum to Share Workforce Best Practices
• Our Latest Blog: The Unique Role of an “Education Whisperer” in Workforce Development
• Meet our Scholar Support Team
• Futuro Health in the News
• Scholar Spotlight: Meet Damien R.
• Futuro Health Speakers Bureau
• WorkforceRx Podcast: Allen Blue, Co-Founder of LinkedIn: Leveraging 900M Career Profiles for Employment Insights

The chronic shortage of healthcare workers has become a pressing global crisis, with the World Health Organization (WHO) projecting a deficit of 10 million healthcare professionals worldwide by 2030. At the Fifth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, held at the WHO’s international headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on April 3-5, 2023, Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan was invited to speak on best practices in workforce development, joining other leaders from around the world.

The Forum was the largest gathering of global health workforce professionals, health policymakers, and multisectoral partners, with more than 5000 individuals from 192 countries attending virtually or in-person. The Forum, which coincided with World Health Worker Week and the 75th anniversary of WHO, focused on the theme of protecting, safeguarding, and investing in the health and care workforce.

During opening remarks kicking off the three-day Forum, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that health workers deserve decent pay and working conditions. “WHO calls for all countries to increase investment in health workforce education and jobs to meet their population needs and health system demands. The world must take urgent action to protect and invest in health workers everywhere,” said Dr. Ghebreyesus.

The Forum reinforced an important lesson learned during the COVID-19 response to foster collaboration and coordination. WHO issued policy brief 53, entitled What Can Intersectoral Governance Do to Strengthen the Health and Care Workforce, advising for health sector reach beyond its domain to collaborate with education, finance, labor and other agencies and entities including employers to address the ubiquity workforce challenges. “Workforce development is a team, not an individual, sport,” affirms Ton-Quinlivan.

According to WHO, countries at all levels of socioeconomic development face difficulties in the education, employment, retention, and performance of their workforce. The pandemic had a significant impact on health and care workers worldwide, with approximately 50% of them experiencing burnout due to the additional workload and stress. This is particularly concerning as these workers were already overworked and undervalued before the pandemic.

The panelists also delved into other issues such as low retention rates, insufficient training, and limited resources, which posed significant obstacles to deploying health workers to rural, remote, and underserved regions. Speaking to this point, Ton-Quinlivan noted the shortage of healthcare workers in domestically has disproportionately affected rural and underserved communities, where access to healthcare services is already limited.

“It was an honor to join so many esteemed international leaders and share best practices implemented by Futuro Health and in my prior role with the California Community Colleges,” said Ton-Quinlivan. “Every country in the world faces daunting workforce challenges in the health and care sector, particularly those in low- and middle-income regions.  We benefited from sharing proven best practices.”

The conversations at Fifth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health will likely impact the goals of the Working for Health 2022-2030 Action Plan, which was developed to protect healthcare workers and develop the resilience of health systems and are expected to inform the United Nations General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage to be held this coming September.

In the U.S., over 80% of healthcare facilities have reported a shortage of allied healthcare workers. This persistent workforce deficit necessitates collaboration between employers and higher education to find a solution. Yet, interpreting the languages between these two worlds can be a challenge. That’s where the need for an “education whisperer” comes in. Our team at Futuro Health fills this crucial role.

The Futuro Health Scholar Support Team is dedicated to supporting our Scholars in their educational journey towards a fulfilling career in healthcare. We understand that each Scholar has unique needs and challenges, and we're here to provide personalized coaching and goal setting to help them succeed. We're committed to celebrating their achievements along the way, and working together to overcome any obstacles they may encounter.

Meet the entire Futuro Health Scholar Support Team here!

Futuro Health in the News

Damien R. was well on his way to completing an x-ray technician program in Tennessee when the state Board of Education halted the program’s funding. Thrown off guard, Damien returned to California and began to consider an alternative career. Damien’s mother, who worked at Mercy San Juan Hospital, recommended Futuro Health’s Medical Assistant or Health IT Specialist programs, which would offer him the chance to merge his passion for health care and computers.

April 3-5, 2023 -  World Health Organization - Global Forum on Human Resources for Health

April 20-21, 2023 - Comagine Health - Optimizing an Inclusive Diverse Workforce

May 1-2, 2023 -Texas Workforce Commission Forum - Workforce Solutions for Unsettled Times

May 9, 2023 -The Academy - Career Pathways Spring CHRO Forum

Adele Burnes, Deputy Chief of the CA Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS), Futuro Health Staff Daniel Tabor and Joy Hermsen at the Southern California Apprenticeship Network (SCAN), hosted by the South Bay WIB.

To schedule a Futuro Health expert to speak at your organization’s event, contact mwakely@futurohealth.org.

WorkforceRx Podcast

About Futuro Health 

Futuro Health is a non-profit organization focused on improving the health and wealth of communities by growing the largest network of healthcare workers in the nation.

Futuro Health makes education journeys into allied health careers possible by growing the talent that employers need and creating a path to opportunity that workers want.