Arkansas‘s health workforce struggles to meet the demands of a population that is growing, aging, and diversifying and one whose burden of chronic diseases is increasing. Advances in medical technology and the aging of health workforce members themselves combined with both current state and federal health care changes that aim to expand and improve access to health insurance coverage will further amplify the need for a stronger, larger, more coordinated, more robust health workforce that can meet the growing demand for quality services.
The Arkansas Health Workforce Strategic Plan is intended to be the first step in a larger commitment to ensure that the health workforce in our state will meet the present and future health and health care needs of Arkansans. This plan is to be a roadmap to change that includes specific recommendations to improve navigation and coordination through team-based care, expand the availability and use of technology, increase the supply of and address the maldistribution of available providers, and adjust the payment system to support these changes.
