Workforce shortages pose public health crisis

THERE IS MUCH being said in the media about the current health care workforce shortage, which I believe has the potential to be the next public health crisis.

The numbers are real. The total of open positions at Baystate Health peaked at nearly 2,000 in 2021, but recently leveled off at 1,650, more than double our pre-pandemic state. We are not alone.

The Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association’s recently released survey, “An Acute Crisis: How Workforce Shortages Are Affecting Access and Costs,” estimated 19,000 open positions across Massachusetts, with the highest percentages in nursing, behavioral health, laboratory, radiology technicians, and clinical support roles. The driving forces for this shortage existed before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has only accelerated those conditions. Baystate Health identified concerns with shortages in key staff categories as early as 2016 and forecasted a worsening as a larger portion of its workforce aged