NWCPHP has launched a collaborative project to improve public health policy: Laboratory for decision making. With support from the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, NWCPHP embarks on a five-year project to assist rural public health leaders in better using data to promote health equity. With rural areas hard hit by the opioid epidemic training materials and other resources are a great resource provided by NWCPHP.

The Washington Physicians Health Program is an independent, non-profit organization that was established in 1986. It is a physician-led program with an experienced staff dedicated to helping healthcare professionals while promoting patient safety. WPHP assists healthcare professionals with medical conditions that may affect their ability to practice medicine safely. These conditions include substance use and behavioral health disorders, as well as physical and cognitive disorders. WPHP is a confidential resource to the maximum extent provided by law. Visit WPHP.

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement Open School is a not-for-profit global learning community offering online courses, project-based learning, and learning community. Some courses are paid for through subscription, but the IHI Open School also contains free videos and case studies with discussion questions, a list of other resources on patient safety, quality improvement, leadership, and system design, and tips/resources related to publishing work.

Managed by the Washington State Department of Health, the Practice Transformation Support Hub (Hub) is accelerating the dissemination and implementation of practice changes toward value-based care, providing support and assistance to help healthcare providers adopt and adapt. Source: https://www.hca.wa.gov/about-hca/healthier-washington/practice-transformation-support-hub.

NRTRC provides technical assistance, program support, education and information to Telehealth Networks in our seven-state region. Increasing the use of Telehealth service throughout the region, especially to under served populations, by providing no-cost assistance to Telehealth providers. Source: https://www.nrtrc.org.

Qualis Health is one of the nation’s leading population healthcare consulting organizations, partnering with our clients to improve care for millions of Americans every day. Qualis works with public and private sector clients to advance the quality, efficiency and value of healthcare. Qualis Health is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with regional offices located in Alabama, Alaska, California, Idaho, the District of Columbia and New Mexico. Source: www.qualishealth.org.

The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center provides educational programs, resources, and consultation to health care organizations with the goal of optimizing quality, cost-effective health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The Education Center is a part of The Fenway Institute, the research, training, and health policy division of Fenway Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center, and one of the world’s largest LGBT-focused health centers. Source: https://www.lgbthealtheducation.org/.

The Area Health Education Center for Western Washington (AHECWW)  is proud to partner with the Washington Healthcare Access Alliance to release the 2021 Washington State Primary Care Needs Assessment (PCNA).  

This report provides an overview of primary care capacity in Washington and identifies priorities for programming and legislation. An advisory committee of diverse area experts was consulted in regard to structure, content, and sources. Data included were collected from a wide range of public, private, and for-profit and nonprofit partners in the fields of healthcare, economics, education, and social services. 

The full report is available here.

The Workforce Development Solutions section focuses on healthcare workforce challenges as well as promising programs, and is available as an excerpt.

PCNA development was supported by the Washington State Department of Health Primary Care Office.

The Weitzman Institute is the first community-based research center established by a Federally Qualified Health Center. It is dedicated to quality improvement and research in primary care for the under served. They test promising innovations in primary care delivery and establish research priorities for Community Health Center, Inc. (CHCI). The Weitzman Institute website offers information on practice transformation support, Project ECHO for Chronic Pain and MAT, eConsult, QI education, and workforce development. Weitzman Institute programs are operating in 37 states (including Washington), bringing services to health centers and practices across the country. The Institute has offices in Colorado and Connecticut.

The Sentinel Network is an information network linking the healthcare industry with partners in education and training, policymakers and workforce planners to collectively identify and respond to new and changing demand for healthcare workers, skills and roles. Part of the Healthier Washington initiative, the Sentinel Network is a collaboration of state’s Workforce Board and the University of Washington Center for Health Workforce Studies, with funding from Washington’s Health Care Authority. Source: www.wtb.wa.gov/HealthSentinel/.

The AIMS Center at the University of Washington is a group of faculty, staff and consultants dedicated to improving the health of populations by advancing the research and implementation of Collaborative Care, a specific model of integrated care developed at the University of Washington to treat common and persistent mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Link to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Health Workforce page, where you can read more about scholarship and loan opportunities, health professions training grants to support institutions, strategic partnerships, shortage designation, health workforce analysis, and access the national practitioner data bank.

“Key Considerations for Implementing Telepsychiatry Services”– was developed in 2017. It is available on the Practice Transformation Support Hub to help practices considering telepsychiatry make an informed decision about what is right for their primary care practice, and their unique implementation needs. The six-page guide is available on the Hub Resource Portal.

HEAL WA is the on-call library for Washington state practitioners, and is a free resource for any healthcare provider licensed in Washington state.

3RNet Academy is offered annually in the fall/winter. Check the 3RNet website for updates on the next trainings. The 2020 Academy provides six webinar sessions discussing various points of Recruiting for Retention Hierarchy: Strategically Market Using Candidate Motivations. Dates are October - December. Each session will be recorded for on-going reference. The WA State Dept. of Health offers these at no cost: Use coupon code 2021 WA.

3RNet provides a wealth of resources and it's free to register and post job openings. Visit 3RNet and review the Employer's Guide to Workforce Programs.

Washington Health Workforce Gateway works to ensure that the healthcare system in Washington State has the professionals needed to help build healthy communities. Visit the site to find resources for employers regarding loan repayment options that can help attract healthcare professionals. Loan repayment program applications are offered annually. Washington Resources Group manages the website for Washington Health Workforce Gateway.

The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved houses the Solutions, Training, and Assistance for Recruitment and Retention (STAR²) Center providing resources, training, and technical assistance to help Health Center Program grantees with their clinician workforce challenges and questions.

Funding through a national cooperative agreement with the Bureau of Primary Health Care at the Health Resources and Services Administration ensures that services are offered free of charge to all health centers and look-alikes. 

SHRM is the world’s largest HR professional society. This website contains helpful resources and articles on HR related topics. Some available for free, some require membership. Visit the SHRM website.

The Career Resources for Military Veterans page is on the Allied Health Center of Excellence website. This page contains many links to helpful veterans resources.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) provides information on employing individuals with disabilities. This report from the NCSL contains federal and state policy information. The Washington State Department and Industries’ Stay at Work program, which pays employers to help injured workers stay on the job, explains how medical providers can help support this effort.

3RNet (National Rural Recruitment and Retention Network) is a nonprofit organization that connects health professionals searching for jobs in rural or under served areas with health care facilities. The website offers tips on recruitment and retention, posting jobs, and as a guide to workforce programs.

Recruitment and Retention Tips: A Resource list to help organizations better recruit and retain health professionals is available. A guide to best practices for attracting and retaining needed workforce is also available.

The Collaborative for Rural Primary care, Research, Education, and Practice (Rural PREP) conducts and disseminates research that leads to the integration of evidence-based practices in the preparation, recruitment, and retention of primary care providers in rural communities.

The Rural PREP Grand Rounds are one-hour team-based learning sessions that engage teams from rural sites across the US in an online format that is both a presentation of a rural health topic and an active learning session.

Learn about the credentialing requirements for various healthcare professionals, from Washington State Department of Health.

Credentialing for Nurses

The Washington State Department of Health website provides specifics for Nurse Licensing and Continuing Education Competency Audits. Suicide Prevention continuing education training has been required since July 2017.

Check the Continuing Education section under Resources for Professionals for upcoming webinars offering free CME and Continuing Education credits for healthcare professionals. Sign up to receive AHECWW's periodic updates on free and low-cost CME and CE trainings.

Access screening tools for anxiety disorders and depression, from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. These screenings are meant to be used by patients as a screening tool that can be shared with a provider.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, contains a wealth of information on treating substance use disorders and mental health disorders. Click on “publications” to access many free resources geared towards providers.

Rural Opioid Educational Resources

 The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health has developed a compendium of all Rural Opioid Educational Resources available across their website to aid individuals looking for education, tools, and other resources. This includes reports, webinar presentations, meeting presentations, and a compendium of resources and lessons learned from grantees of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s Rural Opioid Overdose Reversal (ROOR) grant program. As new resources become available, more information will be added. Visit the NOSORH page.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255