Code of the District of Columbia

§ 32–1684. Healthcare Workforce Partnership.

(a) The Intermediary shall establish the Healthcare Workforce Partnership, which shall work to increase the number of District residents employed in the healthcare sector and to meet the staffing needs of District healthcare employers, particularly of hospitals that receive District government funds.

(b)(1) The Director of the WIC, or the Director's designee, shall serve as a member of the Partnership.

(2) The Intermediary shall serve as a member of the Partnership and shall appoint community members in consultation with the WIC.

(3) Community members, the majority of which shall be healthcare sector employers, shall consist of the following:

(A) At least 5 employer representatives of the District's healthcare sector, which shall represent a variety of healthcare disciplines;

(B) At least one representative of a healthcare industry trade association;

(C) At least one representative from a labor organization that represents healthcare workers;

(D) At least one representative from a nonprofit organization that offers training programs;

(E) At least one representative from an adult education integrated education and training program, as defined in 34 C.F.R. § 463.35, in the healthcare sector; and

(F) [Expires September 30, 2024] At least one representative from an employer of workers who are certified nursing aides, certified home health aides, or medication aide certified, including licensed home health agencies, assisted living residences, adult day health programs, nursing facilities, and long-term direct healthcare providers.

(c) Community members shall serve for the duration of the HWI grant and may be reappointed.

(d) The Partnership shall meet at least once each quarter for the duration of the HWI grant.

(e) No later than July 1, 2021, and annually thereafter in advance of the start of a new fiscal year, the Partnership shall submit to the WIC, through the Intermediary, its Healthcare Occupations Report, which shall contain the following:

(1) Recommendations of 3 to 5 healthcare occupations requiring less than a bachelor's degree, which may include occupations for which incumbent workers may be upskilled, in which the District should invest in training;

(2) A summary of the occupational hiring needs of hospitals receiving or committed to receive District government funds, including an estimate of the number of workers needed, disaggregated by healthcare occupation;

(3) A recommendation of the number of District residents the WIC should train in the occupations identified pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection;

(4) A list of occupational skills required to obtain employment in the occupations identified pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection;

(5) Recommendations of curricula for training in the occupations identified pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection;

(6) An explanation of the feasibility of providing virtual training or distance learning, and recommendations to implement virtual training;

(7) Customized healthcare career pathway maps for the occupations identified pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection;

(8) Recommendations of strategies and tactics to increase the capacity of training providers to train District residents; and

(9) Recommendations to attract District residents to, and retain District residents in, the occupations identified pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection, including necessary tactics to increase candidates' hard and soft skills and to reduce barriers to employment.