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Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty

In a huge win for dental access in Wisconsin, a bill allowing the licensure of Dental Therapists in Wisconsin recently passed both houses of the legislature with bipartisan support…

…Minnesota provides a compelling example of successful dental therapy implementation. In 2009, the state created a dental therapy license. A 2020 study by the Center for Health Workforce Studies revealed that, since 2009, over 250,000 patients received care from dental therapists in Minnesota, and practices utilizing dental therapists experienced an increase in patient caseloads and gross revenue. This success demonstrates the potential for improving dental care accessibility and affordability through dental therapy. 

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The Sun

QUEENSBURY | According to the NYS Office for the Aging, by 2030, more than one-third of the population in most North Country counties will be over 60 years of age…

…The purpose of the group’s upcoming workshop is to inform AAUW – Adirondack Branch members and the wider community about the overall home health care (HHC) needs and planning issues for North Country residents who want to age in place in their homes. In partnership with the University at Albany, SUNY, AAUW will host a workshop where community members will be provided information about what they will need to age in place.

Health Care Workforce Needs for Aging in Place: Home Health Care in the North Country Compared with New York State. Keynote: Robert Martiniano, Dr. PH, MPA; Senior Program Manager for the Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS); School of Public Health, University at Albany, SUNY will present the overall issues, examples of results from the CHWS survey, and provide overall conclusions & insights. He will compare the CHWS results germane to NYS and the Adirondack region.

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Newsday

Long Island nursing schools are turning away students as they struggle to find enough instructors, exacerbating an already serious nursing shortage, experts say.

A wide gap between what nurses can earn teaching compared with working in health care facilities is a key reason, nursing school deans say. Fewer nurses per patient leads to a greater chance of patient harm, research shows…

…The clinical-training crunch is in part due to the nursing shortage, said Robert Martiniano, senior program manager of the University of Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies and co-author of a June report that found that nearly half of New York nursing programs rejected qualified applicants. Nurses often are too busy with patients to have enough time to help train students, he said.

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New York State Website

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a $5 million expansion of the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program to extend eligibility to licensed mental health professionals. Administered by the state Office of Mental Health, the program now has $14 million dedicated to recruiting and retaining skilled mental health professionals at a time when demand for these workers is high and projected to increase…

…Nationally, rising rates of mental illness and substance use disorder have created heightened demand for psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, a need that is expected to outpace growth of this area of the workforce. Based on findings from the Center for Health Workforce Studies, New York State is projected to have a shortfall of between roughly 1,180 and 2,650 psychiatrists by 2030.

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DrBicuspid

Nearly 80% of oral health providers reported burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to survey findings from the Oral Health Workforce Research Center at the University at Albany in New York.

The report, published on October 12, also stated that the rates of burnout among oral healthcare workers was comparable to burnout rates being reported by primary care providers and mental and behavioral health providers.

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Newsday

More than double the number of health care workers reported harassment at work in 2022 compared with 2018 contributing to high rates of burnout and stress, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Tuesday.

Reports of being harassed at work were 13.4% in 2022, compared with 6.4% in 2018, according to the CDC. More than 45% of health care workers reported feeling burnout often or very often in 2022, compared with 32% in 2018, according to the report. Among workers who said they felt harassed, 85% reported feelings of anxiety and 60% reported feelings of depression…

…Registered nurses are among the most difficult to recruit and retain on Long Island, while thousands of other health care positions are open, according to an analysis released in April by the Center for Health Workforce Studies, which is based at The University at Albany.

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Dental Tribune

ALBANY, N.Y., US: Mental health support is now a great priority for many employers who wish to show their commitment to promoting well-being in the workplace. However, burn-out among healthcare staff continues to be a cause for concern and may lead to issues such as high employee turnover, absenteeism, depression and a greater likelihood of medical errors, thus threatening patient safety. Putting mental health in the spotlight, recent research examined the levels of burn-out experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic by oral health providers at non-profit dental facilities in the US serving low-income families or individuals. It also highlighted contributing factors and strategies used to increase workforce resilience.

The report, published by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies, used data from the 2021 online survey by Health Choice Network that included information on clinicians working in 25 community health centres across the US. The survey gathered information on 588 respondents, including those working in primary care, oral health, and mental and behavioural health settings. Oral health clinicians totalled 33 dentists, 12 dental hygienists and 25 dental assistants.

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Becker’s Dental and DSO Review

Nearly four-fifths of oral health providers reported experiencing burnout, according to a report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies.

Of the oral health providers surveyed for the report, 79.3% reported burnout. Primary care providers and mental and behavioral health providers also reported high incidences of burnout, coming in at 80.1% and 76.2%, respectively.

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Dimensions of Dental Hygiene

A recent report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center at the University at Albany Center for Health Workforce Studies in New York has shed light on the prevalence and effects of stress among oral health professionals working in nonprofit dental facilities serving disadvantaged populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic intensified burnout issues among healthcare professionals, including those in oral health, due to the risk of COVID-19 infection. The survey analyzed clinicians in 25 United States community health centers, revealing that 79.3% of oral health providers reported experiencing burnout, a rate comparable to primary care and mental/behavioral health clinicians.

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Medical Xpress

Burnout is a prevalent problem for the health workforce, associated with employee turnover, absenteeism and depression. Burnout has also been shown to increase risk of medical errors and raises concerns about patient safety.

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened issues of  for , especially those providing patient care. For the oral health  in particular, the chance of COVID-19 infection was considered high due to potential contact with respiratory aerosols and spatter during dental procedures.

A recent report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) in the School of Public Health explored the prevalence and effects of burnout and stress among the oral health workforce in safety-net dental organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers worked with the Health Choice Network to analyze its 2021 online survey of clinicians working in 25 community health centers across the U.S.

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