Governor Greg Abbott has announced the release of a comprehensive report by the Healthcare Workforce Task Force, aimed at addressing healthcare workforce shortages in Texas. The recommendations seek to meet the demands of the state's growing population.

"Training the next generation of healthcare professionals is critical to provide quality medical care and increased access to all Texans," stated Governor Abbott. He emphasized that while Texas has invested significantly in job training grants for high-demand jobs in healthcare, more efforts are needed to tackle workforce shortages. "As Texas continues to grow, it is critical that we bolster our healthcare industry with a highly skilled workforce that will support the health of Texans and drive our booming economy to even greater heights," he added.

Task Force Chair Victoria Ford expressed gratitude for her role and acknowledged the contributions from various experts involved in this initiative. "I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with the task force and members of the advisory committees," she said. "The recommendations included in this report are designed to lay the foundation to grow a strong healthcare workforce in Texas, in both the short-term and long-term."

Earlier this year, Governor Abbott directed the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to form this task force, appointing Victoria Ford as its chair. Over five months, they engaged over 70 subject matter experts, 50 stakeholders, and seven state agencies.

The task force's recommendations include creating a Statewide Health Professions Workforce Coordinating Council (HPWCC), expanding pharmacy technician numbers, establishing a start-up fund for apprenticeship sponsors, improving curriculum alignment between high school and university programs, increasing instructional materials availability for health-related courses, studying community colleges' feasibility offering four-year programs for health professionals under specific circumstances, streamlining nursing school applications through existing services, forming a Gold Ribbon Panel on Nursing's Future, aligning nursing career pathways better, creating clear pathways into nursing for allied health professionals, setting up an evaluation unit for education innovations research in healthcare professions training, and continuing investment in scholarship and loan repayment programs.

The full report with detailed recommendations can be accessed online.