doctor shortages

The three-day camp at St. Joseph's Hospital offers high schoolers a look at the life of nurses, surgeons, therapists and other jobs in the hopes of inspiring future health workers.

The measure, a priority of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, next heads to the House floor. The Senate version has already passed.

The state will seek to streamline regulations and offer incentives to help make care more accessible under two bills passed by the Senate. The Live Healthy package heads next to the House.

The plan, a top priority of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, includes trying to boost the number of doctors in the state, shift patients away from emergency rooms and seed innovation efforts.

Florida will need more nurses, home health aides, mental health professionals and other medical workers. It's a flagship issue as lawmakers return to work this week in Tallahassee.

In Rhode Island, safety-net clinics are under new pressures as clinicians retire or burn out. Patients report that it's harder to find care, and they're losing connections to familiar doctors.

Proposals include expanding residency programs to keep doctors in the state and taking steps to divert nonemergent patients from ERs to other facilities. The legislative session begins Jan. 9.

Foreign-trained medical professionals could help address a workforce shortage and meet the growing demand for care. But they often face barriers to getting certified in the U.S.

In advance of the 2022 legislative session, lawmakers eye ways to bolster education and training programs for nurses and other health professionals to help alleviate industry-wide staffing woes.

Florida hospitals have seen a 29 percent increase in the number of residency slots since 2013, but the state still faces physician workforce challenges, a…