Health Care Workforce

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Israel-Hamas War, Overdose Deaths, Striking Health Care Workers: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on historical context for the Israel-Hamas war, the link between education and fatal overdoses, why U.S. health care workers are striking, and more.

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Why Health Care Workers Are Striking

More than 75,000 health care workers at Kaiser Permanente went on strike in early October. While it is unusual for American medical workers to go on strike, there is reason to believe Kaiser is on the leading edge of more labor unrest among care providers in this country.

Shira H. Fischer @ShiraFischer

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Mental Health First Aid: Training People to Help Others

An innovative program trains and empowers people to not look away from those experiencing mental illness, but to listen to them, reassure them, and encourage them to get help. Most trainees of the program in New York City were still using what they had learned five years later.

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RAND Experts on Veteran Mental Health Respond to the White House Mental Health Research Priorities

The White House identified eight research priorities to better manage America's current mental health crisis. RAND researchers highlight why each area is critical for veteran mental health and how RAND is contributing to address them.

Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand, Carrie M. Farmer @carriefarmer, et al.

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Combating Abortion Misinformation in the Post-Roe Environment

Misinformation could become a major barrier to individuals trying to navigate their way to safe, legal, and quality reproductive care. What might states, health insurers, and technology companies do to address this issue?

Julia Rollison @Julia_Rollison

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Addressing the Shortage of Behavioral Health Clinicians: Lessons from the Military Health System

Access to behavioral health services is one of the top challenges for the U.S. health care system, due in part to a shortage of licensed mental health providers. One potential solution to expanding the behavioral health workforce can be found in the U.S. military.

Stephanie Brooks Holliday, Kimberly A. Hepner @KimberlyHepner, et al.

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How Data Can Help Refugees, Homelessness in L.A., Harm Reduction: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on tapping into Facebook data to help refugees, addressing homelessness in Los Angeles, understanding burnout among health care providers, and more.

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Promoting Patient-Clinician Conversations to Reduce Cascades of Care

A cascade of care is a seemingly uncontrollable sequence of medical services that is driven by the desire to avoid even the smallest risk of a bad outcome. What drives cascades? And what interventions might mitigate them?

Kathleen L. Mulligan, Ishani Ganguli, et al.

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Gender Pay Gap Among Doctors, America's Labor Shortage, 'Hacking Equity': RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the pay gap between female and male doctors, understanding America’s weird job market, social and emotional learning, and more.

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The Informal Carers Who Help People with MS Need Support More Than Ever

The trend within health care services toward remote care and self-management for people with multiple sclerosis has not included adequate support to carers. Greater investment to support the needs of carers could support the informal care they provide, as well as the carer as an individual.

Daniela Rodriguez-Rincon, Brandi Leach

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Who Can Effectively Champion the Vax?

Vaccine hesitancy appears to be one more hurdle in ending the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC would typically lead a campaign to overcome it, but Americans' trust in the CDC has declined measurably. Health care professionals may be more effective messengers when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines.

Lois M. Davis @LoisMDavis, Michael S. Pollard @MichaelSPollard

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Rescue Plan Help for Family Caregivers Is a First Step

Unpaid caregivers have been a critical part of the functioning U.S. economy, serving as the backbone of the health system, since long before the pandemic started. Adding them to the American Rescue Plan was an important step, but even after the pandemic is over, their financial security will need long-term protection.

Alexandra Drane, Molly Coye, et al.

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Giving Family Caregivers a Voice

One in every five American adults is caring for a loved one in need. Too often, they have to fight to make their voices heard in a health care system that doesn't always see them as the partners in care they can be. More could be done to integrate them into patients' health care teams.

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Family Caregivers Are the Health Care Workers That Vaccination Plans Overlook

About 53 million family members and friends provide care to loved ones in the United States, representing a critical element of the long-term care system. The pandemic has made family caregivers front-line workers. They can't be left out of important discussions around vaccination priorities and how to minimize the virus's risk to those with compromised health.

Esther M. Friedman

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Americans' Financial Struggles, COVID-19 Vaccinations, Virtual Schools: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Americans' ongoing financial struggles, how we can learn from the first phase of COVID-19 vaccinations, why virtual schools may be here to stay, and more.