Michigan Health Council Plan To Increase Health Care Workforce

The Michigan Health Council was founded in 1943 by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, Michigan State Medical Society, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. MHC just released their 2025 Michigan Healthcare Workforce Plan:

https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/michigan-health-council-details-solutions-to-health-care-workforce-challenges/

https://www.mhc.org/workforceplan

https://www.mhc.org/_files/ugd/24abcc_b5f61284ac314223ae01cfcea5e28616.pdf

Michigan Health Council Details Solutions to Health Care Workforce Challenges
The Michigan Health Council (MHC) in Okemos, near Lansing, has released a new plan aimed at guiding the implementation of data-driven solutions to the state’s future health care workforce challenges.
By Tim Keenan - April 30, 2025

As Michigan’s population ages and many health care providers near retirement age, the Michigan Health Council has released a new plan to guide the implementation of data-driven solutions to the state’s future health care workforce challenges. // Stock photo
The Michigan Health Council (MHC) in Okemos, near Lansing, has released a new plan aimed at guiding the implementation of data-driven solutions to the state’s future health care workforce challenges.

Key recommendations of the 2025 Michigan Healthcare Workforce Plan include strengthening existing statewide health care career awareness, exploration, and preparation activities; expanding partnerships between education and health care settings to reduce geographical and other barriers to earning a health care certification or degree; and focusing on understanding health care staffing and retention across the state.

“Michigan stands at a critical crossroads,” says Craig Donahue, president and CEO of MHC. “Our aging population is driving increased health care demand, our current health care workforce is approaching a retirement cliff, and we continue to struggle getting people into the workforce pipeline.

“The time for decisive action is now to ensure quality healthcare remains accessible for all Michiganders. We see the Workforce Plan as an opportunity to engage stakeholders in the work of implementing solutions.”

Supported by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, the Workforce Plan is built on a framework consisting of four key pillars:

Grow Interest in Health Care Careers – Expanding career readiness opportunities for students through enhanced K-12 career development, increased job shadowing and observation experiences, and targeted student engagement programs.

Improve Access to Health Care Education – Removing barriers to healthcare education by expanding collaborative programs, increasing the availability of healthcare apprenticeships, and improving transfer pathways to make healthcare education more accessible and affordable.

Increase Experiential Education Capacity – Addressing the shortage of clinical placement sites and educators by expanding the use of alternative training sites, supporting and incentivizing clinical faculty and preceptors, and collecting data to better understand and utilize clinical capacity.

Explore Recruitment and Retention Strategies – Encouraging partnerships that build local talent pipelines, improving access to career development opportunities for all healthcare workers, and better understanding turnover using data.

“The health of Michigan residents is intrinsically linked to the state of our health workforce. That is why this report is important,” says Kari Sederburg, vice president for programs and director for healthy aging at the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.

“By providing training pathways, recruitment, and retention recommendations, the report speaks to workers’ needs throughout their careers. Helping our health professionals thrive requires a shared vision and aligned actions to meet our communities’ health needs today and tomorrow.”

Officials say the Workforce Plan has been informed by data analysis and research, including the Michigan Healthcare Workforce Index, a first-of-its-kind product of MHC that assessed the health of 36 health care occupations in Michigan based on four inputs — wages, growth, shortages, and turnover–to determine how each occupation is faring in our economy.

“The next step is critical,” Donahue says. “This plan comes to life when stakeholders engage with each of the Workforce Plan’s proposals, putting into motion actionable solutions critical to the future health of Michiganders.”