By Jordan Gerard | Arizona Capitol Times
Key Points:
- Arizona faces a health care professional shortage, ranks ninth worst in the U.S.
- Bill would give a one-time appropriation to establish a workforce development program
- The proposed model has already seen success in seven other states
An average American spends less time with their health care provider and more time interacting with health care professionals who take vitals and sometimes blood samples.
And while Arizona does have a physician shortage, there’s also a shortage of health care professionals who help deliver medical care.
Overall, Arizona is ranked ninth in the U.S. for worst health care professional shortage areas, Sen. Lauren Kuby, D-Tempe, said. On a more granular level, the state has about 284 Health Care Professional Shortage Area designations in primary care. That affects a total population of over 4.2 million people.
