Regional Center for Health Workforce Studies at CHEP

RCHWS at CHEP, is a research facility within the Center for Health Economics and Policy (CHEP) of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA). It was created in 2001 under a cooperative agreement between the UTHSCSA and the Bureau of Health Professions of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). RCHWS at CHEP serves a five-state region of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas and has a special research focus on the regions that comprise the United States/Mexico border.

What is CHEP?

The Center for Health Economics and Policy (CHEP) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio was founded in September of 1987 as a University-wide resource to support the education of students in Health Economics and Policy and to conduct research on efficiency, effectiveness, and equity in the delivery of health care. Administratively located in the Center for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, CHEP has ongoing research projects within the School of Medicine, Dental School, and Nursing School.

Why a Regional Center for Health Workforce Studies?

Adequate access to health care requires a health workforce that is sufficient in number, composition, training, and distribution. Since health workforce issues are often local issues, six “Regional Centers for Health Workforce Studies” were established throughout the country by HRSA via cooperative agreements with major universities and Health Science Centers. The collaborative agreements ended in 2007 but the workforce Centers continued operating under university and extramural research funding.

The regional centers for health workforce studies, while building on their special areas of expertise and institutional support, have been

· developing partnerships with state and local health planning agencies in their region;
· securing other sources of funding to conduct their work;
· providing technical assistance;
· analyzing the supply, distribution, diversity, and utilization of the major health professions, including public   health;
· conducting studies on issues of importance to the states in their respective regions and assessing all aspects  
  of the health workforce in both a regional and national context, and
· addressing issues of workforce diversity and workforce development in geriatrics and genetics across all   health profession disciplines.

The six Regional Centers are at the University of California at San Francisco (HRSA Southwest Region), the State University of New York at Albany (Northeast), the University of Washington at Seattle (Northwest), the University of Illinois at Chicago (North Central), the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Southeast).

The Center at CHEP/UTHSCSA is the first in the South Central Region of the United States. To link to any of the regional centers or to the national center, click on the tab “links” in the selection bar at the top of this page.

How is the RCHWS at CHEP organized?

The Center’s technical staff is made up of a small group of professionals with multiple competencies and expert access to CHEP specialized databases. They interact with associate scientists and associate organizations engaged, as needed, in specific research projects. This structure offers flexibility in adjusting to changes in funding without damaging the critical mass of technical resources needed for pursuing the Center's mission and research objectives.

Regional Center for Health Workforce Studies at CHEP
Organizational Relationships

Technical Staff:

Brad H. Pollock, Ph.D., Epidemiologist, Director
Antonio Furino, Ph.D., Health Economist, Associate Director
Carol Reineck, R.N., Ph.D., Associate scientist for Nursing Research
Alma Martinez-Jimenez, M.S., Project Manager
William Sanns, Consulting Data Base Specialist

Associate Organizations:

Organizations with unique expertise in areas relevant to the RCHWS research agenda that have had successful and mutually beneficial collaborations with RCHWS:

Center for Sustainable Health Outreach, Hattiesburg, MS, Research Liaison: Agnes Hinton,Ph.D., Co-Director
Center for Health Workforce Studies, State University of New York, Albany, NY,
  Research Liaison: Jean Moore, MA, Director
Community Voices, Morehouse School of Medicine, National Center for Primary Care, Atlanta, GA,
  Research Liaison: Henrie Treadwell, Ph.D., Director
Hartford Center for Excellence in Geriatric Education, UTHSCSA, Research Liaison: David Espino, M.D., Director
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Office of Rural Health Policy,
  Research Liaison: Frank Cantu, M.S., Field Director
Medical Hispanic Center of Excellence, UTHSCSA, Research Liaison: Martha Medrano, Ph.D., Director
IC2 Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Research Liaison: David Gibson, Ph.D., Associate Director
Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin,
  Research Liaison: David Warner, Ph.D., Professor and Wilbur J. Cohen Fellow in Health and Social Policy
Office of Information Technologies, Texas Workforce Commission, Austin, TX,
  Research Liaison: John Romanek, M.S., Information Technology Manager
Office of Primary Care, Texas Department of State Health Services,
  Research Liaison: Connie Berry, Manager
Regional and Local Services, Texas Department of State Health Services,
  Research Liaison: Cecilia Berrios, M.S., Community Health Promotions Specialist
Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC), UTHSCSA, Research Liaison: Leonel Vela, M.D., Professor and Regional Dean
Health Provider Resources Division, Texas Department of State Health Services, , Research Liaison: Bruce Gunn, Ph.D., Manager
The Perryman Group, Waco, Texas, Research Liaison,
  Research Liaison: Ray Perryman, Ph.D., President and CEO
The University of Louisville, KY, Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine,
  Research Liaison: Toni Miles, Ph.D., M.D., Professor and Wise-Nelson Chair, Clinical Geriatrics Research

Why the research focus on the U.S./Mexico border?

Large areas of the U.S./Mexico border are characterized by high poverty, poor environmental conditions and significant health challenges. Therefore, in addition to addressing the workforce issues of the five-state region of the south central U.S., special research objectives of the RCHWS at CHEP are the study of best workforce strategies for reducing health disparities and improving access to care in these areas. This focus continues a research tradition at UTHSCSA and CHEP and fulfills the original specific mandate by HRSA. Studies include examining regional staffing levels for physicians, nurses, dentists, public health, mental health and allied health professionals; the location of these professionals throughout the region; their training needs; and their recruitment and retention challenges. Expected results from the research are timely estimates of workforce demand and supply, of present and future shortages, and the clarification of policy options for addressing workforce development issues. A border health workforce informatics initiative is being promoted by RCHWS.

Who will use the studies conducted by RCHWS at CHEP?

Research findings will assist decision makers at the local, state and federal levels in creating effective programs for bringing the right mix of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals to the locations needing them.

Educational institutions, professional associations, employers and the general public will benefit by being better informed when setting goals and evaluating accomplishments. Additionally, data and analyses released by the Regional Center will be an important resource for planners and researchers since health workforce challenges and opportunities are key in planning the economic and social development of regions and in enhancing the quality of life.

To view an annotated list of current RCHWS projects please click on the tab “projects” in the selection-bar at the top of this page.