Health Care Now and in the Future
Within this report, the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council provides a plan for addressing the health care workforce shortage – today and well into the future. By building on established public-private partnerships, hospitals, government, educational institutions, businesses and community groups can all work together to meet our future health care needs.

As the metropolitan Chicago population grows and ages over the next two decades, demand for health care services will rise dramatically. Hospitals and other health care providers are responding by expanding their staffs and service offerings. They remain committed to their missions, and strive each day to maintain access to vital trauma and emergency services, advanced treatments and new medical technologies for all, and access for the poor and uninsured to safety-net services.

However, the reality is that the growing shortage of skilled health care workers threatens the ability of hospitals and other health care providers to continue providing the health care services we all depend on. This report evaluates the shortages, considers the consequences of doing nothing, identifies opportunities for collaboration to expand the health care workforce and recommends strategies that complement efforts already in place.

Investing in the Health Care Workforce
Addressing the shortage requires a major coordinated effort among health care providers, the education community and government and business leaders. The Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (MCHC) believes that, to address the current and projected health care workforce shortage in this region, Illinois must:

• Increase by 50% the number of nurses and health professionals trained by 2010 statewide by investing $40 million to $50 million to develop new faculty and expand education and training programs. An estimated 2,000 of these new workers will be needed in the eight-county metropolitan Chicago region each year.
• Increase recruiting and support for health professions candidates.
• Reduce regulatory barriers to expanding the health workforce.
• Continue improving working conditions to reduce turnover and increase job satisfaction.

Health care has a major impact on both the physical and fiscal health of the metropolitan Chicago region. Investing in the skilled workforce required to keep up with growing demand is essential to maintaining access to adequate care and all the economic benefits that a thriving health care industry brings.

Posted September 19, 2005