Strengthening Health Care Workforce is AHA Priority

Reducing workplace violence, addressing the nursing shortage and cultivating workforce diversity are among the American Hospital Association’s top advocacy priorities this year. “Workforce is the number one concern for hospitals across the country,” said Priscilla Ross, AHA executive director of executive branch relations and senior director of federal relations. She noted violence harms quality of care because providers “spend time focusing on deflecting and recovering from attacks, rather than focusing on patient care” in addition to causing staff burnout. AHA supports investing in faculty for educating nurses to bring more nurses into the workforce. To improve workforce diversity, AHA members are cultivating partnerships with local schools and colleges to create programs to encourage more people from diverse backgrounds to enter health care. (HealthLeaders Media article, 2/6/23)