Integration & Innovation
The Center provides population-specific data visualization, online resources, training, and collaboration to develop community intervention programs Informed by data on health workforce shortages and training gaps. Leveraging established technological assets to support and enhance the workforce goals of external partners in Virginia.
The Center works with regional stakeholders in Virginia to align resources and identify and leverage additional public/private funding opportunities (grants, etc.) to support programs that increase regional health workforce numbers and quality. It’s ability to leverage technology resources allows universal access to a variety of tools and services including assessments, career coaching, labor market information, job search assistance, adult education and literacy, and vocational skills training accessed through the Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP). A VCoP is an online community that is developed and maintained using the internet to facilitate online collaboration and engagement with community members and experts in a specific domain of interest
Software Technology
Identifying and selecting of a set of related software programs or platforms (and/or services) to design a technological solution for workforce advancement.
IT Integration
System integration is essential both for business-to-business communication and internal cooperation within an enterprise. System integration is the process of connecting different subsystems (components) into a single larger system that functions as one.
Technical Support
Universal access to a variety of tools and services including learning resources, assessments, career coaching, labor market information, job search assistance, adult education and literacy, an vocational skills training accessed through the Virtual Community of Practice/LMS.
Integration Models
The Hub-Spoke model is useful to conceptualize the approach to developing health workforce in Virginia. The Centralized Technical Assistance (HUB) for Virginia’s Health Workforce housed at George mason University’s Center for Health Workforce will make the resources and services available to regional and statewide collaborators. It is characterized by a high degree of connectivity and will support The Regions (Spokes). The HUB leverages existing tehnology platforms including a model for Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP) and a universally adapted learning management system (LMS) which have been developed and operationalize by George Mason University.
VCoP (Hub Spoke) Model
Integration that leads to Innovation
Integrating IT platforms to provide a cohesive learning environment that drives positive health workforce development outcomes.
Regional Health Workforce Coalition
A Community must be able to achieve goals and objectives that its individual stakeholder organizations would benefit from but it would not be able to achieve on its own in order to be successful. Otherwise, its stakeholders will not be willing to invest the effort to participate in a meaningful way.
- The community-driven impact is owned and operated by agencies and organizations in the community
- Community coalitions have identified and developed solutions for health problems in the communities
The development of a Shared Community Action Coalition will build on the strengths, assets, and capacities of the existing coalitions in the health workforce community. We envision developing a strong, vibrant community coalition that seeks to improve the future healthcare workforce by building on existing partnerships and strengthening individual coalitions through coordinated activities that address the identified needs. The Shared Community Action Coalition will not duplicate services already provided by existing agencies or other coalitions but rather provide a coordinated environment for collaboration and collective impact initiatives.