2024 Western Massachusetts Healthcare Summit Tackles Workforce Shortage Amid Post-Pandemic Challenges
Nearly 250 people in attendance.
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On Monday, October 28, 2024, the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing hosted its second annual Western Massachusetts Healthcare Summit. With nearly 250 registrants, the event brought together speakers from diverse backgrounds, including political leaders such as Senator Jo Comerford and Representative Mindy Domb, alongside practicing nurses and other healthcare professionals.
The healthcare workforce shortage took center stage at the day-long summit, with many speakers highlighting it as a “crisis” exacerbated by the pandemic. Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kate Walsh, highlighted data on health inequities worsened by the pandemic in her keynote speech, emphasizing maternal and cardiometabolic health as top priorities for her department.
The resounding call to action to legislators from working healthcare professionals was simple: invest in the industry. The Daily Hampshire Gazette writes, "what most speakers agreed on across the event’s panels was the need for increased state investment in recruitment and retention measures in health care. Speakers emphasized the need for broadened academic-professional pipelines and increased financial support for students and professionals who face monetary barriers to advancing in health care careers."
Following the summit, the Healthcare Workforce Career Fair saw such high demand that additional job applications had to be printed on the spot.
The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing extends its gratitude to the legislative sponsors and healthcare partners who made this year’s summit possible, with special thanks to event organizer Olivia Frazier, executive director of strategic partnerships at the college.