Profile: Health Careers Futures

Health Careers Futures' mission is to align the supply and demand for healthcare workers in the regional healthcare industry by improving attraction, recruitment and retention of quality healthcare workers; and instituting research of relevant health workforce issues. Health Careers Futures has successfully: Assisted in the development and implementation of a U.S. Department of Labor Incumbent Training Project that trained healthcare workers for higher paying healthcare jobs Sponsored the 2003 and 2005 Magnet Summits to show regional hospitals how to achieve Magnet Certification, a designation of the American Nurses Credentialing Center of the American Nursing Association Worked with the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board (TRWIB), employers and training organizations to provide incumbent worker training and education Conducted research regionally and nationally on incumbent workers and current trainees in high-demand careers Provided technical assistance to the TRWIB and other organizations to develop healthcare sector projects and materials Mandate Health Careers Futures' mandate is to Convene relevant stakeholders to improve the alignment of training programs and employer requirements Improve attraction, training, placement, and retention of quality health workers Identify and strengthen health careers and job search pathways Advance patient safety and quality care curriculum Investigate ways to improve the cost-effectiveness of the health workforce system Develop, gather, and share health workforce data The role of Health Careers Futures is to provide clear and accurate information to students, job seekers, and educational and workforce development organizations about health career occupations and defined pathways to enter and advance in these careers. Health Careers Futures also supports the development, attraction and retention of quality healthcare workers; attracting the motivated applicants and promoting the relevant training and work designs that support patient and worker safety. History In 2000, then Allegheny County Chief Executive James Roddey and Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, in cooperation with the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board and Workforce Connections, rolled out a community-driven strategy to enhance the region's entire workforce. These leaders identified economic cluster groups and charged the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) with coordinating the health workforce cluster. In its first task as cluster coordinator, JHF hosted the Pittsburgh Region Health Workforce Summit in 2001. During the conference, JHF assembled current information on the regional health workforce's status and found that the system for attracting and retaining qualified workers needed immediate attention. In 2002, Health Careers Futures (HCF), a 501(c)(3) supporting organization of the JHF, was founded to support long-term local and regional economic development by aligning the region's supply of and demand for health workers. HCF now serves as the healthcare industry's workforce development cluster coordinator for Southwestern Pennsylvania.

The healthcare industry is a cornerstone of the regional economy. Health Careers Futures (HCF) develops and implements initiatives that increase information about the healthcare industry and strengthen the health workforce pipeline. HCF leads research on career choice and pathways, advocacy for patient safety principles in regional healthcare curricula, and projects aimed at recruiting and retaining quality healthcare workers through better work design. Frequent HCF project partners include the Jewish Healthcare Foundation Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board Community College of Allegheny County Workforce Connections If you would like more information about Health Careers Futures' projects, please contact us.