Founder of Carlyle private equity firm, Bill Conway donates $325M to nursing programs.

Healthforce's weekly briefing for March 11th, 2025. Get smarter on the latest news & trends in the healthcare workforce.

🖐️ THIS WEEK’S TOP 5

1. Large PE firm founder Bill Conway donates $325M to nursing programs.

2. PA Gov. Shapiro highlights $15M for rural nursing and behavioral health.

3. New Mexico proposes 13 bills to join interstate medical compacts.

4. New York bill offers $5K stipends to healthcare preceptors.

5. 1,000+ petition OSU Wexner for better staffing amid burnout, turnover.

If you found today’s newsletter insightful, then we’d love to hear from you! Please drop us a line at edenn@globalmedteam or kanza@globalmedteam. See you next week!

💪 IMPACT STORY OF THE WEEK

Carlyle Group founder, Bill Conway has donated $326 million to nursing programs, helping produce over 7,000 nurses. His philanthropy funds scholarships, new facilities, and faculty recruitment, notably at Catholic University and the University of Virginia, with plans to expand nationwide. (AP News)

Bill Conway

⚖️ POLICY SPOTLIGHT

1. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and state officials visited Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital to highlight rural healthcare initiatives, including $5M for nursing recruitment and $10M for behavioral health loan repayment. (Newsbreak)

2. Massachusetts has enacted the Physician Pathway Act (PPA), allowing foreign-trained physicians to gain full licensure after practicing for three years in underserved areas. This law bypasses the need to repeat U.S. residency. (Niskanen Center)

3. New Mexico is addressing healthcare staffing shortages by introducing 13 bills to join interstate medical licensure compacts for various specialties, including physicians and physical therapists. (AOL)

4. On a related note, New Mexico's House passed House Bill 15, which allocates $2 million for a healthcare recruitment program targeting professionals who graduated in the last 10 years but aren't practicing in the state. The bill aims to address workforce shortages. (Yahoo!)

5. New York lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill to provide $5,000 stipends to healthcare preceptors in the Capital Region, aiming to address the state's need for 40,000 nurses by 2030. Backed by Albany Med, St. Peter’s Health Partners, and HCANYS, the initiative seeks to expand clinical training, improve recruitment, and retain skilled professionals. (NY Senate)

6. Since 2023, at least 9 states have eased licensing for foreign-trained doctors by removing U.S. residency requirements, with over a dozen more considering similar laws. While groups like the Federation of State Medical Boards support oversight measures, critics, including the American Board of Medical Specialties, cite patient safety and certification concerns. (NPR)

🎓 BACK TO SCHOOL

1. Fond du Lac Tribal Community College in northeastern Minnesota trains students in culturally sensitive care, particularly for indigenous communities. With U.S. nurse job openings projected to grow 13% by 2031, students are securing jobs before graduation, highlighting the urgent demand for healthcare professionals. (WDIO)

3. Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) launched HealthPath Forward, a strategic initiative led by President Michael Avaltroni to tackle healthcare workforce shortages through interdisciplinary education, industry partnerships, and an innovation center. (NJBiz)

4. The Upper Cumberland Local Workforce Development Board (UCWLDB) has secured a $270,000 rural healthcare grant to support apprenticeship programs in nursing, medical assisting, and EMS. Employers in the Upper Cumberland region can apply for funding from Feb. 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. (UCBJournal)

🏥 HOSPITAL WATCH

1. UnityPoint Health launched a virtual care program to address neurology and behavioral health staffing shortages, averaging 400+ behavioral health and 130+ neurology consults monthly. By removing geographic barriers and using virtual carts, the system reduces costs, improves patient access, and expands services like endocrinology and rural patient transport. (Becker’s)

2. A coalition called Reclaim Healthcare WNC is urging HCA Healthcare to increase staffing at Mission Hospital in Asheville or sell it to a nonprofit, citing preventable patient deaths linked to staff shortages. HCA disputes the claims, but lawsuits from North Carolina and Buncombe County, along with state investigations, seem to highlight deficiencies in care. (Citizen Times)

3. Over 1,000 healthcare workers and community members petitioned OSU Wexner Medical Center over severe understaffing, citing burnout, high turnover, and risks to patient care. IAM Healthcare Union and OSU Nurses Organization demand better staffing, while OSU claims turnover rates are improving and negotiations are ongoing. (The Columbus Dispatch)

4. Contract negotiations between Kaleida Health and unions representing 8,000 healthcare workers began, focusing on addressing staffing shortages. A study by the Communications Workers of America found Western New York is short 5,000 nurses, highlighting the critical role of nurses in patient care. (WKBW)

⚕LET’S TALK

Global MedTeam offers one of the most impactful ways to address the healthcare workforce shortage, through connecting international nurses to leading healthcare systems in the US.

If you’re interested in being a part of the solution, get in touch.