First Meeting of the NC Health Talent Alliance: Pioneering Solutions to Critical Healthcare Shortages in Southeastern NC

Last week’s in-person gathering of the cohort was an extraordinary milestone. This alliance, orchestrated through the combined efforts of the NC Chamber Foundation, NC AHEC, SEAHEC, NCIOM, the North Carolina Center on the Workforce for Health, and the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, represents a formidable commitment to combating the critical healthcare workforce shortages in our state.

At the heart of our strategy lies the implementation of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s acclaimed Talent Pipeline Management® (TPM) program, specifically across the North Carolina Area Health Education Center’s (AHEC) network. By leveraging this program, we aim to foster robust public-private partnerships, pinpoint training gaps, and extend crucial support to individuals pursuing essential healthcare training.
 

Distinguished representatives from a spectrum of esteemed employers, including Coastal Horizons, EmergeOrtho, Liberty Healthcare Management, Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, Well Care and others, converged to envision a collective roadmap forward. With industry giants like Novant Health, Wilmington Health, and the Veterans Affairs office actively participating, our coalition took a pivotal step toward a unified resolution.

During this pivotal meeting, the coalition committed to collaborative efforts such as providing strategic direction for the TPM initiative, co-creating a regional training system, contributing to curriculum development, and offering mentorship or work-based learning opportunities. Additionally, the group collectively decided to develop recruitment strategies that incorporate best practices to build candidate pipelines, especially in underserved communities, while emphasizing employee retention as a key priority to bridge the gap in healthcare providers. These actions signify a significant leap in addressing the pressing challenges within our healthcare workforce.

Guiding us through this transformative journey is the leadership of Dr. Steven Hill within our team. As we persist in our efforts, we remain steadfast in our goal to directly confront and overcome the healthcare workforce shortages that impact our community. For healthcare providers eager to engage with our NC Health Talent Alliance in Southeastern NC, please connect with Dr. Steven Hill at hill@wilmingtonchamber.org for further details on our upcoming meetings.