HB 191

Abstract

Health workforce development; Special Advisor to the Governor for Health Workforce Development; Virginia Health Workforce Development Fund. Creates the position of Special Advisor to the Governor for Health Workforce Development (the Special Advisor) in the Office of the Governor and creates the Virginia Health Workforce Development Fund to (i) provide incentives for the removal of barriers to educating and training health workforce professionals that include increasing eligible faculty, clinical placements, and residencies; (ii) incentivize the production of health workforce credentials, degrees, and licensures based on a rigorous analysis of the need by the Office of Education and Labor Market Alignment; (iii) address regulatory barriers to entering into and staying in health professions; and (iv) provide education and training for health and health science professionals to align education and training initiatives with existing and evolving health workforce needs. The bill also requires the Special Advisor to review and evaluate the structure and organization of the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (the Authority) and make recommendations regarding the long-term administrative structure and funding of the Authority to the Governor and the General Assembly by November 1, 2022. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2026.

Health workforce development; Special Advisorto the Governor for Health Workforce Development; Virginia HealthWorkforce Development Fund. Creates the position of Special Advisorto the Governor for Health Workforce Development (the Special Advisor)in the Office of the Governor; directs the Virginia Health WorkforceDevelopment Authority to collaborate with the Special Advisor, employersof health and health science professionals, and institutions thatprovide education and training for health and health science professionalsto better align education and training initiatives with evolvingworkforce needs; directs the Authority to coordinate with and seekopportunities to expand existing workforce development initiativesin the Commonwealth and partner with an institution of higher educationin the Commonwealth to facilitate the sharing of information andresources and strengthen efforts to develop the health workforcein the Commonwealth; creates the Virginia Health Workforce DevelopmentFund to support the work of the Authority and provide grants to regionalhealth and health science workforce development initiatives; anddirects the Authority to establish a process for the issuance ofgrants to regional health and health science workforce development initiatives.