Our nation’s health care workforce is in dire need of more diverse practitioners. The impact of these deficiencies is profound. Because of the lack of diversity in our workforce, patients may not have enough access to practitioners who resemble them or their lived experiences. Studies show improved health outcomes for patients whose providers share these qualities.
To create a more equitable and diverse health care workforce, BCBSA recommends four key priorities:
- Investing in initiatives, such as educational pathways, to expand and diversify the workforce;
- Fostering public-private partnerships to enhance collaboration;
- Expanding the availability of non-physician practitioners, to allow for even greater access; and
- Addressing provider burnout, especially among clinicians of color, for whom inequities create even higher levels of burnout.
Read our complete platform on creating a more diverse and equitable workforce.
Plus, learn more about the current state of workforce equity in our data brief.
Here’s how one BCBS company is leading the way:
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico has invested in the Encuentro program, which provides training in Spanish for those who want to become home health aides. Through this investment, BCBS New Mexico is helping remove barriers to employment for more Spanish-speaking New Mexicans and diversifying its workforce.
About the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is an association of independently owned and operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico is an independent licensee of Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.