HB 6835, An Act Adopting The Physician Assistant Licensure Compact

TESTIMONY OF CONNECTICUT HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
SUBMITTED TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE

Monday, February 3, 2025

The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) appreciates this opportunity to submit testimony concerning HB 6835, An Act Adopting The Physician Assistant Licensure Compact. CHA supports the bill.

Connecticut hospitals and health systems care for patients, strengthen the state’s economy, and support vulnerable communities across the state. Every day, they work to improve healthcare access, affordability, and health equity. Even as they face ongoing challenges, hospitals provide world-class care to everyone who walks through their doors, regardless of their ability to pay. Hospitals also support an exemplary workforce as the largest collective employer in the state, contribute significantly to the state’s economy, and invest in their communities addressing social drivers of health.

HB 6835 requires the state to join the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact.

Connecticut has an exceptional healthcare workforce that is committed to serving patients. A robust and growing healthcare workforce is required to support healthcare delivery throughout Connecticut. Unfortunately, the current system is not training or attracting enough individuals interested in healthcare careers that are in demand.

Connecticut hospitals are working every day to support their workers and are on the forefront of creating new ways to keep hospital workers resilient and enhance retention and recruitment. Providing financial incentives, identifying opportunities for career advancement, and supporting continuing education are important ways hospitals are supporting the workforce. Additionally, hospitals are partnering with colleges and technical schools to develop curriculum and training to support future healthcare needs, and they are identifying the clinical placements that will be needed to support this enhanced training.

CHA has also built a strong partnership with the Office of Workforce Strategy (OWS), working together to support initiatives that rapidly retrain Connecticut workers for jobs in healthcare (CareerConneCT), create regional sector partnerships to enhance collaboration in communities across the state, and develop healthcare career pathways for high school students.

Together, we can build on the investments already made to expand educational and training opportunities, ease the path to careers in healthcare, support workforce retention, and enhance the safety of current and future healthcare workers. We must maintain our progress in supporting and growing the healthcare workforce.

Joining the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact, as required by HB 6835, is an important part of maintaining the momentum Connecticut has built to grow and support the healthcare workforce. As we consider the best ways to build the healthcare workforce of the future, joining the other 13 states and jurisdictions that are already part of the compact will help make Connecticut more competitive as we work to attract physician assistants into the state while embracing new ways to provide care, such as through telehealth.

As the legislation advances, CHA looks forward to continuing to work with committed parties to ensure that physician assistants in Connecticut continue to have access to and the confidentiality of the HAVEN program. Additionally, CHA urges the Committee to address any state agency resource issues to ensure that background checks can be made in a timely manner so that there is no delay in licensure.

Participation in licensure compacts is one important tool to address workforce shortage issues, and CHA looks forward to working with the Committee to couple this action with other steps to improve the education pipeline, support workforce retention and recruitment, and increase opportunities for career advancement.

Thank you for your consideration of our position. For additional information, contact CHA Government Relations at (203) 294-7301.