The Greater Philadelphia region’s healthcare workforce has experienced dramatic changes since the US enacted comprehensive healthcare reform in 2010 — and according to respected labor economist Dr. Paul Harrington, Director of the Drexel University Center for Labor Markets & Policy, further changes lie ahead for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania’s most important employment sector.
Dr. Harrington delivered his remarks — focusing on the growth of the Community Health Worker (CHW) occupation and other changes likely to impact Philadelphia’s healthcare and human services labor market in coming years — at the Spring 2016 meeting of the Greater Philadelphia Healthcare Partnership. As usual, the Partnership meeting opened with IP Director Susan B. Thomas’s review of Partnership achievements in training, fundraising and other activities. Through three quarters of the 2015-16 IP cycle, GPHP has successfully registered 213 training participations, with many more scheduled in the upcoming weeks and months. IP Director Thomas also highlighted the conclusion of GPHP’s first four year federal H-1B on-the-job training (OJT) grant, and early successes in placing long-term un– and under-employed workers in healthcare OJT opportunities through a second federal H-1B grant .
In addition to the Partnership’s OJT grant, IP Director Thomas highlighted multiple new grant-funded initiatives at GPHP and its sponsor, the District 1199C Training & Upgrading Fund, including renewed funding for the Partnership through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s industry partnerships (IP) program. GPHP was initially created through a pilot grant from the state IP program, but has successfully sustained its operations for over five years without state support prior to this funding announcement. GPHP is grateful to the Wolf Administration for its support, and looks forward to working closely with its employer partners on this grant project, as well as another state-funded project to pilot innovative Registered Apprenticeship training models in the healthcare, human services and childcare industries.
Among the many grant-funded training programs currently offered by GPHP is access to the Training Fund’s OSHA-supported Healthcare Occupational Safety Center, managed by Ellie Barbarash MS, CPEA. Ms. Barbarash introduced new trainings offered by the Safety Center, including worker and management on revisions to OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard going into effect June 1, 2016. Details on this and other occupational safety and health trainings available through the Healthcare Occupational Safety Center can be found online at www.1199ctraining.org/safety, by calling Ellie Barbarash at 215-568-2220 x5505, or by emailing ebarbarash@1199ctraining.org.
Featured speaker Dr. Paul Harrington, Director of the Center for Labor Markets & Policy at Drexel University, is an experienced and widely-respected labor economist currently consulting for both GPHP and the Training Fund. He is recognized as an authority on the labor market effects of the Massachusetts healthcare reform legislation on which the Affordable Care Act was in part modeled. Dr. Harrington’s research into the Greater Philadelphia-area healthcare labor market has revealed the extent to which Pennsylvania’s recovery from the “Great Recession” — and its general economic climate — is increasingly driven by healthcare and human services employment, with the ambulatory care sector playing a key and growing role.
Dr. Harrington recently conducted a study for GPHP which examined the Community Health Worker (CHW) occupation, cross-referencing labor market data with in-person interviews and focus groups. His most significant findings included: 1)“Community Health Worker” is not a new occupation; 2) CHWs have many different titles; 3) Important for CHWs to share traits with the clients they serve (race-ethnicity, neighborhood, etc.); 4) At each organization employing CHWs, there is a physician champion; 5) Found a lot of value with CHW focused on the social determinants of readmissions (connecting clients with childcare, housing, electricity, etc.); 6) CHWs are “no touch” jobs, do not administer medications, take blood pressure, etc.; 7) With rare exceptions, organizations hire small numbers of CHWs; 8) Grant and funding problems interfere with long-term hiring; 9) CHWs are often managed by a nurse or social worker; 10) CHWs are typically given client list through Emergency Department admissions or doctor referral. Dr. Harrington’s full presentation is available upon request to Peter Chomko (pchomko@1199ctraining.org).
The Partnership will meet next at 8:30 AM on July 21st, 2016 at the District 1199C Training & Upgrading Fund’s Breslin Learning Center (10th floor of the Land Title Building, at 100 South Broad Street). July’s meeting will focus on population health and mobile learning.
If you or your organization are interested, the Greater Philadelphia Healthcare Partnership welcomes healthcare employers, academics, public sector and community partners, and workforce development professionals to its quarterly meetings and other special events. For additional details, news and events, and other updates, please visit our website (greaterphilahealthcare.org), check out and “like” our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GreaterPhilaHealthcare), contact IP Director Susan Thomas (sthomas@1199ctraining.org or via phone at 215-568-2220 x5102) or follow us on Twitter @PhilaHCPartners.
In addition to the Partnership’s OJT grant, IP Director Thomas highlighted multiple new grant-funded initiatives at GPHP and its sponsor, the District 1199C Training & Upgrading Fund, including renewed funding for the Partnership through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s industry partnerships (IP) program. GPHP was initially created through a pilot grant from the state IP program, but has successfully sustained its operations for over five years without state support prior to this funding announcement. GPHP is grateful to the Wolf Administration for its support, and looks forward to working closely with its employer partners on this grant project, as well as another state-funded project to pilot innovative Registered Apprenticeship training models in the healthcare, human services and childcare industries.
Among the many grant-funded training programs currently offered by GPHP is access to the Training Fund’s OSHA-supported Healthcare Occupational Safety Center, managed by Ellie Barbarash MS, CPEA. Ms. Barbarash introduced new trainings offered by the Safety Center, including worker and management on revisions to OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard going into effect June 1, 2016. Details on this and other occupational safety and health trainings available through the Healthcare Occupational Safety Center can be found online at www.1199ctraining.org/safety, by calling Ellie Barbarash at 215-568-2220 x5505, or by emailing ebarbarash@1199ctraining.org.
Featured speaker Dr. Paul Harrington, Director of the Center for Labor Markets & Policy at Drexel University, is an experienced and widely-respected labor economist currently consulting for both GPHP and the Training Fund. He is recognized as an authority on the labor market effects of the Massachusetts healthcare reform legislation on which the Affordable Care Act was in part modeled. Dr. Harrington’s research into the Greater Philadelphia-area healthcare labor market has revealed the extent to which Pennsylvania’s recovery from the “Great Recession” — and its general economic climate — is increasingly driven by healthcare and human services employment, with the ambulatory care sector playing a key and growing role.
Dr. Harrington recently conducted a study for GPHP which examined the Community Health Worker (CHW) occupation, cross-referencing labor market data with in-person interviews and focus groups. His most significant findings included: 1)“Community Health Worker” is not a new occupation; 2) CHWs have many different titles; 3) Important for CHWs to share traits with the clients they serve (race-ethnicity, neighborhood, etc.); 4) At each organization employing CHWs, there is a physician champion; 5) Found a lot of value with CHW focused on the social determinants of readmissions (connecting clients with childcare, housing, electricity, etc.); 6) CHWs are “no touch” jobs, do not administer medications, take blood pressure, etc.; 7) With rare exceptions, organizations hire small numbers of CHWs; 8) Grant and funding problems interfere with long-term hiring; 9) CHWs are often managed by a nurse or social worker; 10) CHWs are typically given client list through Emergency Department admissions or doctor referral. Dr. Harrington’s full presentation is available upon request to Peter Chomko (pchomko@1199ctraining.org).
The Partnership will meet next at 8:30 AM on July 21st, 2016 at the District 1199C Training & Upgrading Fund’s Breslin Learning Center (10th floor of the Land Title Building, at 100 South Broad Street). July’s meeting will focus on population health and mobile learning.
If you or your organization are interested, the Greater Philadelphia Healthcare Partnership welcomes healthcare employers, academics, public sector and community partners, and workforce development professionals to its quarterly meetings and other special events. For additional details, news and events, and other updates, please visit our website (greaterphilahealthcare.org), check out and “like” our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GreaterPhilaHealthcare), contact IP Director Susan Thomas (sthomas@1199ctraining.org or via phone at 215-568-2220 x5102) or follow us on Twitter @PhilaHCPartners.
