ST. PAUL, MN – State Representative Gene Pelowski (DFL – Winona) will be participating in an upcoming meeting of the Minnesota Legislative Health Care Workforce Commission. The commission will convene on Tuesday, July 22, from 2:00-5:00 PM in Room 200 of the State Office Building in St. Paul.
The commission is tasked with studying and providing recommendations to the Legislature on how to strengthen Minnesota’s health care workforce. The commission’s recommendations to the Legislature are due by December 31, 2014. The report must take the following steps:
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Identify current and anticipated health care workforce shortages, by both provider type and geography.
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Evaluate the effectiveness of incentives currently available to develop, attract and retain a highly-skilled health care workforce.
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Study alternatives to develop, attract and retain a highly-skilled health care workforce.
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Identify current causes and potential solutions to barriers related to the primary care workforce, including training and residency shortages, income disparities between primary care and other providers, and negative perceptions of primary care among students.
“Bolstering our health care workforce and preventing worker shortages is vital to delivering the care that individuals and families need,” said Rep. Pelowski. “This also includes our Higher Education systems and their ability to provide the needed health care workers. I am looking forward to participating in this meeting.”
The Legislative Health Care Workforce Commission consists of five members of the House of Representatives and five members of the Senate. Each chamber must be represented by three members of the majority party and two members of the minority party. The commission expires on January 1, 2015.