Resource Hub
The Suffolk and League Certificate Program 2024 Class
Since 2002, the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers has partnered with Suffolk University's Moakley Center to offer a Certificate in Community Health and Community Health Center Management. The goal of the program is to provide health center employees the opportunity to access affordable graduate-level education. In turn, their participation builds the internal capacity in health centers by equipping them with new skills and advanced management tools.
“I credit my predecessor, Dr. James W. Hunt Jr. [former CEO of the Mass League] and Sandy Matava [former Executive Director of the Moakley Center for Public Management] for their vision of a program that would provide an accessible, affordable education that prepares future health center leaders. We have graduated over 600 health center staff from the program over the years, and I view this program as a critical part of our workforce development efforts,” said Michael Curry, President & CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
We are pleased to introduce you to the 24 students representing 16 health centers in our 2023-2024 Community Health and Community Health Center Management Certificate program from the League and Suffolk University.
Good luck to this year’s enrollees. We look forward to celebrating your graduation in June!
Meet the 24 students representing 16 health centers who are earning a Community Health and Community Health Center Management Certificate from the League’s program with Suffolk University.
Human Resources Director Forum
On a monthly basis, we bring human resource professionals together to share information and resources. At a recent Forum, we discussed comprehensive workforce plans to support retention and recruitment efforts at health centers. We shared a template for creating plans and also identified which health centers are done with the process, which are currently working on it, and which haven’t started yet so that we can connect you with your peers and provide the appropriate level of support and engagement from the League.
For more information about our next HR Forum or to add HR staff to the League’s online HR Community, contact Janice Brathwaite at jbrathwaite@massleague.org.
Upcoming Dates to Mark on Your Calendar
Uniform Data System (UDS) Training - Follow up from the session held on December 4, 2023. This January training will be an opportunity to ask questions.
Date & Location: January 16, 2024 from 9AM-11AM, virtual
Details: This training is hosted by the League and facilitated by Mary Ellen McIntyre.
Registration: For registration and more information please contact Mary Ellen memcintyre@massleague.org
To register for the Q & A session click here.
Everyone's a Caregiver® Mastery Series – Patient Centered Clinic™
Date & Location: February 6, 2024, virtual
Details: This is the first of 8 webinars presented by The Hebets Company and Crossroads Group focused on improving the patient experience by implementing process improvements that improve overall patient satisfaction. Each webinar is approximately 1-hour long and focuses on different aspects of the patient experience in the clinic.
Report of Survey Results: Recruitment and Retention of the Advanced Practice Provider Workforce in Massachusetts Community Health Centers
To help improve access to primary care services, UMass Chan Medical School, in partnership with the League and MassHealth, conducted a survey to enhance the understanding of the advanced practice provider (APP) workforce at community health centers. It consisted of 10 interviews with APP leaders and Chief Medical Officers and a comprehensive survey across APPs employed at health centers to gain the workforce perspective across the Commonwealth.
“This survey can provide key insights to health center leaders, enabling them to strategically develop effective recruitment and retention protocols for critical APP staff,” says Susan Dargon-Hart, Senior Vice President of Clinical Affairs of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.
Highlights of Survey Results
The APP workforce at CHCs skews female, non-Hispanic white, and represents some linguistic diversity. With a primarily white workforce, there is limited racial/ethnic/linguistic diversity.
Nearly half of the workforce is sourced straight from school or a training program, with the remainder being sourced primarily from other CHCs, private practices, or hospitals. Nearly a quarter of APPs report having participated in a training program at a CHC.
The key motivator that attracts APPs to CHCs is the mission, followed by the diverse patient populations and the loan repayment program.
Two-thirds of APPs work full time at the CHC and nearly 30% report working more than 40 hours per week.
With an average caseload of about 13 patients a day, over two-thirds of APPs perceive their patient caseload to be somewhat or very difficult to manage. Over one-third of APPs see more than 15 patients per day.
64% of APPs have participated in a loan repayment program, most commonly the National Health Service Corps program. Of those who have participated in a loan repayment program, 46% have completed their service obligation.
APPs are generally satisfied with most aspects of the supervision they receive; however, there is some room for improvement in helping them manage their workload and stress and evaluating their work.
While 59% of APPs report being very likely to remain at the CHC a year from now, the proportion reduces by more than half to 26% when looking five years out, suggesting a potential retention risk of 41% in the near term and 74% in the long term. By a more conservative estimate based on those who report being somewhat or very unlikely to remain at the CHC, the retention risk is 18% in the near term and 29% in the long term.
Just as belief in the mission is the primary motivator in attracting APPs to the CHCs, it is also the key driver of APP retention.
In our next newsletter edition, we will offer recommendations for recruitment and retention of the advanced practice provider workforce based on this survey’s results.
This post is part of the December 2023 Workforce Matters at the League newsletter, a resource for community health centers created by the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.
