By Pamela M. Prah, Staff Writer
As the US economy gains strength and states are in their best financial position in years, governors are proposing tactics to create jobs, especially in health care and high-tech.
Nurse-Midwifery/Family Nurse Practitioner program, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
Approaches range from luring more immigrants to Detroit; making western New York the center for genomic research; to paying off nursing students’ college loans in New Mexico.
In crafting their proposals, many governors are trying to respond to a common complaint from employers: They are ready to hire, but can’t find workers with the right skills.
“I talk to business executives almost daily about what they need to make their companies successful,” Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, said in his State of the State address. “They tell me that factors like low taxes, incentives, good roads, logistical support and low utility rates are all important. But their No. 1 concern is their workforce – finding enough talented, skilled, energetic, healthy and educated workers.”
Most governors, regardless of party, sounded similar themes as they opened their legislative sessions.
Seeking Health Care Workers
Health care jobs are expected to be among the fastest growing jobs in the next decade, but many states are having problems finding enough people to fill them, including nurses and mental health professionals.
“Today, in 32 of 33 counties, we don’t have enough health care workers, and that’s before we attempt to add up to 205,000 more people to Medicaid,” New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, said.
To attract more qualified applicants, Martinez wants her state to help repay student loans, particularly for those who agree to serve in rural areas. She expects this effort will attract up to 720 new health care workers this decade, including nurses, dentists and physicians. While she didn’t provide a dollar figure in her speech, she said late last year that she would seek $1.5 million for such an effort.
Martinez also wants to “cut the red tape to attract more nurse practitioners,” by allowing any nurse practitioner in the country who wants to work in New Mexico to be licensed in five days or less.
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