Colorado Primary Care Office Develops Workforce Assessment

In collaboration with the Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning - Colorado Welcome Back, the Colorado Primary Care Office () recently completed work on an extensive workforce assessment unique to foreign-born and trained health care providers. Specific emphasis was placed on the refugee/asylee experience. The primary purpose of the project was to identify and quantify regional employment sectors, based on employer need, that are conducive to integrating foreign-born and trained health care professionals into the Colorado health care workforce. The comprehensive statewide workforce assessment of safety-net and other health care employer needs was provided to Colorado Welcome Back to inform the development and potential job placement needs of the Colorado Welcome Back program. The secondary purpose of this project was to identify and quantify employers’ present capacity to meet national standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate services in health care delivery.

Recommendations resulting from the workforce assessment will seek to 

1) Build partnerships between Colorado Welcome Back’s corps of foreign- born and trained health care professionals and the state’s Community Health Centers and other safety-net clinics 

2) Enhance job readiness among Colorado Welcome Back participants through allied health professions as patient navigators and cultural liaisons for clinic staff and safety-net providers 

3) Build momentum for developing  personal contacts and dialogue to introduce Colorado Welcome Back participants to safety-net sites. 

Click HERE for an electronic copy of the workforce assessment or contact Rich Marquez, Workforce Planner by email or phone at (303) 692-4916, for additional information.