32.1-122.7 - Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; purpose. - Virginia Statutes

§ 32.1-122.7. Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; purpose.

A. There is hereby created as a public body corporate and as a politicalsubdivision of the Commonwealth the Virginia Health Workforce DevelopmentAuthority (Authority), with such public and corporate powers as are set forthin § 32.1-122.7:2. The Authority is hereby constituted as a publicinstrumentality, exercising public and essential governmental functions withthe power and purpose to provide for the health, welfare, convenience,knowledge, benefit, and prosperity of the residents of the Commonwealth andsuch other persons who might be served by the Authority. The Authority isbeing established to move the Commonwealth forward in achieving its vision ofensuring a quality health workforce for all Virginians.

B. The mission of the Authority is to facilitate the development of astatewide health professions pipeline that identifies, educates, recruits,and retains a diverse, appropriately geographically distributed andculturally competent quality workforce. The mission of the Authority isaccomplished by: (i) providing the statewide infrastructure required forhealth workforce needs assessment and planning that maintains engagement byhealth professions training programs in decision making and programimplementation; (ii) serving as the advisory board and setting priorities forthe Virginia Area Health Education Centers Program; (iii) coordinating withand serving as a resource to relevant state, regional, and local entitiesincluding the Department of Health Professions Workforce Data Center, theJoint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, the Joint Commission on HealthCare, the Southwest Virginia Health Authority, or any similar regional healthauthority that may be developed; (iv) informing state and local policydevelopment as it pertains to health care delivery, training, and education;(v) identifying and promoting evidence-based strategies for health workforcepipeline development and interdisciplinary health care service models,particularly those affecting rural and other underserved areas; (vi)supporting communities in their health workforce recruitment and retentionefforts and developing partnerships and promoting models of participatoryengagement with business and community-based and social organizations tofoster integration of health care training and education; (vii) advocatingfor programs that will result in reducing the debt load of newly trainedhealth professionals; (viii) identifying high priority target areas withineach region of the Commonwealth and working toward health workforcedevelopment initiatives that improve health measurably in those areas; and(ix) fostering or creating innovative health workforce development modelsthat provide both health and economic benefits to the regions they serve.

(1990, cc. 874, 877; 1997, c. 329; 2000, c. 480; 2010, cc. 187, 488.)