With a population growing more than twice as fast as the national average – and people living longer and experiencing more chronic illness – the demand for health care has never been greater. Unfortunately, Texas has too few physicians to meet the health care needs of its growing population.
The state has well-document shortages of primary care physicians and other specialists, including psychiatrists. More than 80 percent of Texas counties are designated as mental health professional shortage areas, and about 40 percent of Texas counties’ primary care health needs are not currently being met. Shortages of nurses and allied health professionals contribute to this problem.
The Texas Legislature has invested significant funds to increase the size of the health care workforce in Texas, but continued investment is required to combat the severe shortage of physicians, nurses and other health care professionals.
Growing the health care workforce, including the number of behavioral health professionals, in Texas is a top priority for the Texas Hospital Association.
Workplace Violence Prevention Toolkit
The Texas Legislature addressed workplace violence in hospitals during its 2023 session with two crucial new laws aimed at protecting health care workers. This workplace violence prevention toolkit from THA and the Texas Nurses Association outlines the particulars of the new laws and also contains information on other state and federal laws related to workplace violence.
Soaring Staff Vacancies Result in Reduced Hospital Services
While health care workforce shortages existed long before COVID-19, the pandemic acutely impacted the people who provide care inside the walls of hospitals – from burnout and fatigue to leaving the profession altogether. The pandemic exacerbated the situation, and Texas hospitals are now in an unsustainable workforce crisis that threatens hospitals’ ability to care for Texans.
Graduate Medical Education
The formal education of a physician begins with an undergraduate degree and ends with a residency or fellowship. Graduate medical education, or GME, is critical clinical education that follows the completion of medical school. This document explains the importance of continued state and federal investment in that training and provides an overview of the sources and limits of their investment.
Additional Resources
- Soaring Staff Vacancies Result in Reduced Hospital Services (2/7/23)
- THA Comment Letter on FORWARD Loans (11/4/22)
- THA Submits Testimony on Workforce Challenges (5/10/22)
- THA Written Testimony on Workforce Shortages (5/5/22)
- Workforce Shortages Threaten Patient Care (3/17/22) | THA
- A Workforce in Peril: Shortages Threaten Patient Care (3/7/22) | THA
- Despite Workforce Challenges Frontline Workers Bravely Tackle Another Surge (1/18/22) | THA
Related Articles
Vaccine Requirements: Protecting Providers and Patients
Frontline workers continue their courageous fight against COVID-19. They’ve worked long hours to keep patients alive. They’ve risked their health regardless of hospitals’ precautions to keep employees safe. Behind the…
Best Practices: Crisis Staffing
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals have struggled to attract and retain an adequate number of staff members. Now, more than ever, facilities across the country have experienced firsthand the importance…
Health Care Workers Focus on Sexual Assault Prevention
That number doesn’t sit well with Cindy Burnette, D.N.P., R.N., CA-CP SANE, SANE-A, the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program director at Texas Health Resources. Cindy Burnette “Despite those alarming…
Advocating as the Voice of Texas Hospitals
Since its inception, the Texas Hospital Association has passionately advocated for its member hospitals on a multitude of issues at both the state and federal levels. THA’s advocacy and public…