Health Workforce Strategies for California

This collection of publications examines the evidence on the impact of key health workforce policy interventions, such as pipeline and loan repayment programs, to achieve goals like diversifying the workforce, increasing the number of health professionals who provide care in a language other than English, and increasing access to care in medically underserved areas.

California is facing a health workforce crisis. There are not enough health workers for its increasingly diverse, growing, and aging population. These publications highlight the evidence on the impact of various health workforce policy interventions with the goal of supporting California’s policymakers and thought leaders as they endeavor to prioritize workforce investments to realize the greatest impact.

Health Workforce Strategies for California: A Review of the Evidence

This report reviews the evidence about the impact of key health workforce policy interventions in California, including pipeline programs, scholarship programs, loan repayment programs, funding of graduate-level health profession training programs, and residency funding.

Expanding Postbaccalaureate Programs to Address California’s Health Workforce Crisis

Prehealth postbaccalaureate programs (PBPs) increase the rates at which students from underrepresented communities are admitted to and graduate from medical school. PBP participants are more likely to provide care in underserved areas.

Expanding Graduate Medical Education in California: The Role of GME-Naive Hospitals

"Medicare GME-naive hospitals" have never been teaching hospitals before and can potentially be used for new residency programs using federal funds. Doing so in underserved regions can help California produce more physicians in the areas that need them the most.

Health Professionals and Patients in California: Speaking the Same Language

Workforce, Health Equity

This brief identifies policy strategies to increase the number of health professionals with language concordance — those that speak the same language as their patients. This is especially important in California where 44% of households speak a language other than English.

External Resource

California Future Health Workforce Commission

Health Workforce Strategies for California

Top leaders from across the state are working together to close the gap between the health workforce we have and the workforce we need.