Ohio Department of Aging
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June 2007
Director's Notebook
The "Coming" Health Care Workforce Shortage is Here Now
Ohio is aging. Each month, 12,000 Ohioans celebrate their 60th birthdays. This is the first wave of the Baby Boom generation and they are generally living longer, healthier lives. But, when illness does strike, it tends to be devastating. Their sheer numbers will push our current health care service system to its limits and beyond.
While the proportion of our aged who are disabled is forecast to decrease, the growing raw numbers point to an ever increasing need and demand for quality and different health care services. Unfortunately, just as our need for health care workers is growing, the nation is facing a health care worker shortage. With one of the nation's largest populations of older citizens, Ohio is certainly part of this national trend.
Ohio is experiencing shortages at all levels of health care: doctors, pharmacists, nurses, nurse assistants and home health care workers, to name just a few. Folks who have been in these professions for years are retiring and there simply aren't enough young practitioners stepping up to take their places, let alone fill the growing need.
According to a 2006 study, the average Ohio nurse is 47 years old and many nurses plan to retire in the next five years. Further, young doctors are specializing in more lucrative and, dare I say, more attractive fields than gerontology, such as emergency medicine and plastic surgery. Perhaps most alarming, given the people we serve, are the very high vacancy and turnover rates for home care workers. The number of qualified home care workers who provide home and community-based services and supports is diminishing, and at a time when the state is working to expanding its long-term care system to provide the choice they so desire.
This unstable workforce is already having tremendous negative implications for consumers. Personal relationships are crucial to quality health care. Unfortunately, many seniors and people with disabilities see a different home health aide each week, or have had to change doctors or pharmacies (either because their previous practitioner has moved or retired, or they are no longer in the consumer's insurance plan). As a result, many of our constituents are not receiving the care they need when it can be the most beneficial - and some may not get the appropriate care at all.
Ohio has been working with our health care partners on ways to attract and retain more workers - in both skilled and unskilled care - and will consider to do so. From career ladders, to cross-training, to education incentives, we are improving health care careers. We are working with the industry to retain as many of the workers we have today as we can through better compensation, training and incentives. We are coordinating with the education community to encourage more young people to choose to care. And, we are collaborating with the employment and training sector to help workers in declining industries transition to careers in health care.
The future will be challenging, but working together - government, industry and advocates - we can make Ohio a great place to grow up as well as grow old.
Ohio Department of Aging