Item 3.  MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH

POLICY RECOMMENDATION:  The 2008 Children's Agenda supports increasing access to health care through workforce development, and expanding programs and funding to increase subspecialists in maternal and child health and behavioral health.

Improve Access to Health Care

Maternal and child advocates have become increasingly concerned about the lack of access to primary health care services children and pregnant women.  The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has designated all or parts of 58 Oklahoma's 77 counties as "medically underserved" areas. This designation is based on an index of four variables, including numbers of primary care physicians, poverty rates, infant mortality rates and the percent of the population over 65.  Currently, 421 Oklahoma counties have no labor and delivery services available, forcing expectant moms to travel great distances to deliver their babies.

To determine Oklahoma's demand for key health care positions, a series of surveys was conducted in late 2005 of the state's hospitals, ambulatory care facilities and other health care providers.  The results indicated clear evidence of substantial workforce vacancies and projected demands for specific types of providers.  These findings were contained in a  2006 report from the Governor's Council for Workforce and Economic Development, which revealed that Oklahoma will have a shortage of more than 3,000 nurses, 600 lab technicians, 400 physical therapists, 300 surgical technologists and nearly 200 occupational therapists and shortages of other critical health care workers by the year 2012.

These numbers are very conservative as they do not include shortages in physician offices and clinics, schools and public health agencies across the state.  Nor do they account for the impending retirement of baby boomers from the health care industry and health faculty.

The Oklahoma Health Care Workforce Center has determined that shortages in Oklahoma's health care professional workforce are directly tied to the current size of the education pipeline.  Qualified applicants to nursing and allied health programs are turned away due to the lack of faculty and clinical capacity.  It is vital that we substantially boost the number of graduates from these educational program to fill these high-demand professions.

FISCAL NOTE
The Oklahoma Health Care Workforce Center is requesting $7,827,000 through the Oklahoma State Regents for Highe4r Education to expand health care education capacity, through faculty development and other initiatives, and to provide scholarships for nursing and allied health professions.  This is the first year of a three-year phase-in plan, with $18 million dollars annualized by 2011.

Fact Sheets:
Improve Access to Health Care SB 1687