At St. David’s Foundation, we believe that advancing health equity in Central Texas requires a strong, thriving, diverse, and locally rooted healthcare workforce that understands the individual and systemic barriers to health. Through our investments and actions, we are committed to increasing access to quality care and building the capacity of healthcare infrastructure to provide high-quality and culturally responsive care.

Last month, St. David’s Foundation hosted an important conversation at the Healthier Texas Summit, Innovative Models for Supporting and Developing the Healthcare Workforce, about growing the size and diversity of the healthcare workforce in Texas to meet the growing demand facing residents. While there isn’t a simple solution to address this complex challenge, many organizations and individuals are doing impactful work to create both practical and innovative solutions to help meet the critical workforce needs in our region. We were delighted to bring some of those committed leaders together for this discussion.

Moderated by Olivia Aldridge, Healthcare Reporter for KUT News, the panel discussion focused on some of the reasons behind workforce shortages in Texas, barriers communities face when trying to find and build careers in healthcare, common challenges that arise for students pursuing healthcare education, the significance of diversity and mentorship in the healthcare workforce, and the work that’s being done to alleviate some of these issues.

We were humbled to hear from community leaders who participated in the conversation, including Ashley King, the Director of Healthcare Partnerships at Workforce Solutions Capital Area; Alyssia Palacios-Woods, Executive Director of Capital IDEA; Janice Bruno, Executive Director at Smithville Workforce Training Center Career Tracks; and Karen Serna, Director of Student Financial Wellness & Outreach at Austin Community College.

Staffing shortages in the United States are expected to continue in the coming years, driven by an increasing demand for healthcare services that places additional strain on the existing workforce and contributes to high turnover rates across various fields. In 2020, the world experienced the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many healthcare workers left their jobs due to extreme working conditions that led to burnout in the workplace. According to a recent report by the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, Texas had an estimated 16% vacancy rate among RN positions in 2024, and approximately 40% of nursing aide positions at Texas hospitals turned over last year— just one example of the many healthcare professions experiencing shortages across the state.

Healthcare and infrastructure are closely connected: as the population in Texas grows, so does the demand for healthcare services. While major expansions and the development of new hospitals have intensified pre-existing healthcare workforce shortages, there remains a strong interest in healthcare careers among students. However, a key challenge is educating K-12 students about the wide range of healthcare roles beyond doctors and nurses, helping them understand the many career pathways available to address critical shortages.

“A lot of people want to start careers in healthcare. They see it as a sustainable career option, but they have no idea how to start. Workforce Solutions offers Earn and Learn apprenticeships where aspiring students are able to work and get paid while receiving training and certifications, and then start on that career pathway in healthcare.” – Ashley King, Director of Healthcare Partnerships at Workforce Solutions Capital Area 
 
Throughout the panel discussion, we explored how Capital IDEA, SWTC Career Tracks, Workforce Solutions Capital Area, and Austin Community College are working to address and dismantle some of the barriers contributing to healthcare workforce shortages in Texas. From assisting with financial challenges and childcare support to providing career placement, hands-on training, and wraparound services, these organizations are leading impactful work to help people enter the workforce and fill much-needed healthcare positions in our communities.

“We know that it will take a community approach to fix some of these problems. Rather than everyone trying to individually solve these problems on their own, having that community approach, I think, is where you can really make some headway and start moving the needle.” – Ashley King, Director of Healthcare Partnerships at Workforce Solutions Capital Area

Amid workforce shortages, it’s noted that there are significant gaps in diversity and representation of historically marginalized groups in the healthcare industry in Texas, leading to language barriers and a lack of trust between patients and providers in our communities. This need for representation is just one factor contributing to these populations’ negative health outcomes.

We’ve got to recruit people of color, immigrants, and women into our workforce programs, incentivize them to complete training, and then encourage them to stay in their jobs after the training.

St. David’s Foundation is continuously working to better understand the issues impacting access to quality care through listening and learning from providers and communities in Central Texas. Our commitment to addressing these challenges and inequities drives us to gather insights that inform the Foundation’s investments and community programs.

We are honored to have hosted this important conversation at the Healthier Texas Summit, where community leaders came together to discuss some of the pressing challenges our region is facing in meeting our healthcare workforce needs, and we thank our panelists and attendees for their valuable contributions to this discussion.