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Maine needs more workers in many jobs and geographic areas. However, the shortage of health workers, especially in rural areas, is particularly acute.
A bill awaiting funding in the state legislature could help.
LD 1797 will fund programs that help the state recruit and retain more doctors and nurses.Ann Modified version The bill would provide funding to health care facilities to help cover the cost of training new health workers. Many facilities, especially small rural medical centers, say they do not accept trainees because they take time and resources away from other necessary work. This funding is intended to fill that gap.
Funding for scholarships and loan forgiveness, originally part of the bill, is included in the updated budget passed by the appropriations committee earlier this week.
The training portion, which costs $2.5 million annually, is an equally significant investment.
Maine already has a shortage of healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, which could leave patients without the care they need.
Heads of medical companies, hospitals and others testified last month that more doctors and nurses are desperately needed in the state.
“Maine’s health worker shortage is impacting all aspects of care. Patient outcomes are impacted daily because they cannot be transferred to home care, or to another hospital,” said Sally Weiss of the Maine Hospital Association. Said Member of the Innovation, Development, Economic Development and Business Committee.
She gave the example of 118 behavioral disorder patients admitted to emergency departments across Maine on just one day in February due to a shortage of clinical staff to staff psychiatric beds.
The situation could get even worse. For example, nearly half of the state’s doctors and nurses are over the age of 50, as are two-thirds of the state’s dentists and psychologists, according to a 2014 assessment by the Maine Department of Labor.
Replacement training for employees nearing retirement is essential. It is wise to do so where health workers are most needed.
According to the University of New England, which has the only medical school in the state, 75 percent and 80 percent Of the college medical students who have completed their training in Maine, they remain in the state for practice. However, due to a lack of training opportunities, about half of the university’s third-year medical students travel out of state to complete their training.
If many of these students can complete their training in Maine, they are more likely to work in Maine. Many young doctors remain close to the community where they completed their training, the final stage of medical education.of testimony In support of LD 1797, James Jarvis, director of clinical education at Northern Lights Eastern Maine Medical Center, cited a survey showing that half of doctors practice within 160 miles of their training location.
While this law doesn’t solve problems for Maine’s health care workers, it does ensure that doctors, nurses, and other health care providers are able to serve Maine people in need where they are needed. For that reason, funding the bill is an important piece of the puzzle.
