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 operates under a cooperative agreement between the UTHSCSA and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the oversight of the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis of the Bureau of Health Professions. RCHWS at CHEP serves the five-state region of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas and has a special research focus on the areas near 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.

What is the HRSA Regional Centers for Health Workforce Studies Program?

The Health Resources and Services Administration believes that 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, a network of “Regional Centers for Health Workforce Studies” was established through cooperative agreements with eligible institutions under the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis in the Bureau of Health Professions.

The regional centers for health workforce studies, while building on their special areas of expertise and institutional support, are responsible for:

· 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;
· addressing issues of workforce diversity and workforce development in geriatrics and genetics across all   health profession disciplines.

Six Regional Centers, located at major academic institutions, have been in operation since 1997 and serve different regions. They 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:

Steve H. Murdock, Ph.D., Demographer, Director
Antonio Furino, Ph.D., Health Economist, Associate Director
Harold Timboe, M.D., MPH, Associate Director for Health Leadership
Janie Peña, B.A., Assistant to the Director for Administration, Special Projects Coordinator
Alma Martinez-Jimenez, M.S., Project Manager
Xiaoshan Susan Qiu, M.S., Systems Analyst, Web Master/Database Specialist
Jorge Martinez, Research Data Management Coordinator
Shannon Ontiveros, B.A., Research Associate
Pat Hearn, Administrative Secretary

Associate Scientists:

Individuals who have expertise complementary to that of RCHWS technical staff and have agreed to provide research assistance in RCHWS projects as needed:

Stephen Blanchard, Ph.D., sociologist, geographer. Associate Professor of Sociology, Our Lady of the Lake
  University, San Antonio, TX
Mike Parchman, M.D., M.P.H., public health researcher, Associate Professor, Family and Community Medicine,
  UTHSCSA
Carol Reineck, R.N., Ph.D., nursing researcher, Assistant Professor, Acute Nursing Care, UTHSCSA
E. Lee Rosenthal, Ph.D., M.P.H., sociologist, qualitative measurement and community health researcher,
  Assistant Professor, Department of Health Promotion, University of Texas at El Paso, TX
Carl Rush, M.R.P., researcher in community health and community health worker training and certification,
  Director Community Health Worker Institute, Area Health Education Center, Camden, NJ

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., 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 Geriatric Education, UTHSCSA, Research Liaison: David Espino, M.D., Director
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Dallas Field Office,
  Research Liaison: Frank Cantu, M.S., Director
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
Office of Public Health Promotion, Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas,
  Research Liaison: Cecilia Berrios, M.S., Coordinator
Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC) UTHSCSA, Research Liaison: Leonel Vela, Ph.D., Regional Dean
Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas, Research Liaison: Bruce Gunn, Ph.D., Director
The Perryman Group, Waco, Texas, Research Liaison,
  Research Liaison: Ray Perryman, Ph.D., President and CEO
The University of Louisville, KY, Department of Geriatric Medicine,
  Research Liaison: Toni Miles, Ph.D., M.D., Professor and Weiss-Nelson Chair, Clinical Geriatric Research
The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, San Antonio Regional Campus,
  Research Liaison: William Spears, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio,
  Steve Murdock, Ph.D., Professor, Director, State Demographer
U.S. Mexico Border Health Commission, El Paso, TX
World Health Organization, Dental Health Office, UTHSCSA, Ramon Baez, Ph.D

Supporting Organizations:

Organizations that have provided funds or letters of intent to support and facilitate the work of the RCHWS:

· Arkansas Nursing Association
· Health Professions Resource Center, Department of State Health Services
· Health Education Training Centers Alliance of Texas
· New Mexico Nurses Association
· Oklahoma Nurses Association
· Texas Health Policy Institute
· Texas Hospital Association
· Texas Medical Association
· Texas Nurses Association
· Texas Statewide Health Coordinating Council

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 a 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 and is being discussed with the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission and CHEP partners on the border, including those in Mexico.

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.

Which studies will the Center undertake in the foreseeable future?

The long-term (five years) aims of the RCHWS at CHEP address five main questions: (1) What are the characteristics and locations of practicing health professionals? (2) Are there enough of them and do they have the skills and the knowledge they need? (3) Are there shortages and why? (4) How can disparities be reduced or eliminated? (5) What changes in the workforce may be expected in the future?

Answering these questions requires a multidisciplinary approach engaging different researchers and organizations at different locations. Large data banks must be accessed for existing information, and new knowledge must be created with special surveys and other data gathering methods.

To accomplish these tasks, the RCHWS at CHEP relies on a small staff of professionals with multiple competencies and on strategic alliances with public and private research organizations, educational institutions, professional associations, public offices and individuals interested in workforce studies. Additionally, the Center works closely with the other four RCHWSs and with HRSA’s National Center and regional offices.

An important research tool being implemented at RCHWS/CHEP -- an outgrowth of the Health Information Network (HINET) developed by CHEP -- is a relational database of health workforce characteristics and of socioeconomic, demographic and health-related indicators that is searchable by geography using web-based Geographic Information Systems technologies. The work has begun with the design and early-stage implementation of a Border Health Workforce Informatics System that, over a period of three years, is expected to include all the U.S./Mexico border states as well as the corresponding Mexican regions.

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.