Workforce

Workforce Development, Recruitment, and Retention

Like most of the nation, Connecticut is experiencing a critical healthcare workforce shortage. We must take action to both retain the talent we have, and grow it for the future. Workforce shortages, which come in the wake of pandemic-related demands and as the workforce ages to retirement, are felt across the entire continuum of care. The breadth of need requires collaboration across sectors, industries, and state partnership.

Hospitals are creating new ways to keep their employees healthy and resilient, encouraging personal time off, supporting team dialogue around challenges and stress, investing in education and career advancement, focusing on appreciation, and advancing ongoing efforts to maintain safe environments for staff, visitors, and patients alike.

To support patient care and the workforce, hospitals have invested significant financial resources in growing labor costs, which has added to considerable financial strain in the industry. To continue to support these growing labor-related costs, hospitals will require financial assistance from the state and federal governments.

We also need continued collaboration to address workplace violence as a part of broad initiatives to support Connecticut’s healthcare professionals and grow the workforce. Nationwide, healthcare workers are uniquely and disproportionately at risk of workplace violence. Connecticut must not let up on efforts to ensure the safety of every person in hospitals across the state and show our healthcare workers the respect, gratitude, and support they deserve.