By Alabama Sen Bobby Singleton and Rep. Cynthia Almond
This is a guest opinion colum
As members of the Alabama House of Representatives and Alabama Senate, one of our top priorities is to consistently improve educational outcomes for all of Alabama’s students. We are pleased with the strides Alabama has made in providing opportunities for students, but we are not content. Much work remains.
If our public education system is to be effective, it must align with the workforce needs of our state. We believe students should have the opportunity to learn in fields where high-paying, quality jobs are in increasing demand. However, there are too few qualified workers to fill those jobs, and we have no greater need than in healthcare.
In 2022, Alabama ranked 46th in health outcomes among all states in the nation.
According to data compiled by the U.S. Health Resource and Services Administration, all 67 counties in Alabama were designated as “medically underserved areas,” with 63 counties facing shortages in primary care health professionals.
While 37 percent of the state’s population lives in rural areas, only 24 percent of the state’s dentists, 20 percent of nurse practitioners, 24 percent of primary care physicians, and 15 percent of physician assistants practice in these areas.
To tackle these healthcare concerns and to provide another educational choice for our students, Governor Kay Ivey has proposed the state open and operate a healthcare-focused high school that exposes our students to a diversity of STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine) and healthcare career pathways, while simultaneously addressing the growing healthcare worker shortage we are experiencing now – a shortage that will continue to only grow in the coming years.
This is not a Democrat or Republican solution because this is not a Democrat or Republican problem. Although we may sit on different sides of the aisle, we both recognize the need for a new, unique approach to rural healthcare workforce development and wholeheartedly support Governor Ivey’s vision and proposal.
The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences (ASHS), to be located in Demopolis, will offer an innovative, healthcare-focused curriculum for 9th through 12th graders, with opportunities for students to explore various healthcare professions and hands-on clinical training in a rural setting.
These opportunities will allow graduating students to enter the healthcare workforce immediately – filling positions that are currently underfilled and in high demand. Or, they may continue on to earn a degree in higher education where they will be ahead of the curve when compared to their fellow classmates.
Reports by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business reveal that, in 2021, the healthcare and social assistance sector was the leading employer in Alabama, representing 14.2 percent of Alabama jobs.
Further studies by the Alabama Department of Labor show that 15 of the state’s fastest-growing occupations between 2020 and 2030 are in, or related to, the healthcare industry.
We must acknowledge the healthcare sector is already one of the largest and fastest-growing Alabama industries, yet the demand for a workforce continues to outpace the supply of qualified, skilled workers.
ASHS will serve as a pipeline to ensure these job demands are met by providing graduates with real-world experience, preparing them to fill a broad spectrum of healthcare jobs in rural parts of the state.
Governor Ivey has proposed, and continues to support, Demopolis as the home of the ASHS. The proposed site will occupy 10 acres of land next to Whitfield Regional Hospital. An affiliate of and managed by the UAB Health System, Whitfield Regional offers a robust set of medical services that will provide ASHS students with a unique STEMM curriculum accompanied by hands-on, real-world experience.
As members of the Alabama Legislature who represent West Alabama, we have full confidence Demopolis will fulfill the principal needs for this school to be successful. Its proximity to and partnership with Whitfield will expose students to clinical experiences within various healthcare professions. We have also seen the passion of local West Alabama residents embracing the opportunity to serve the state through this school. They have secured support from state and national organizations to assist in funding ASHS, evidence of their dedication to improving their community and their state.
As the people of Demopolis understand, the purpose of this school is to benefit the whole of Alabama, educating the healthcare leaders of tomorrow. This is a statewide school, and ASHS students will have the opportunity to intern for healthcare partner institutions across Alabama. This will be especially important for those rural hospitals and clinics that are in desperate need of experienced and qualified healthcare workers.
ASHS signifies an investment into our children’s futures and will serve as a model for the rest of the nation on how to address rural healthcare workforce shortages and poor health outcomes. We are unaware of an initiative like this existing anywhere else in the nation.
Alabamians should be proud of this innovative solution to address one of our most difficult, complicated, and lingering problems. We are proud to support the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, and we encourage our colleagues in the Alabama Legislature to do the same.
Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, represents District 24 in the Alabama Senate. Rep. Cynthia Almond, R-Tuscaloosa, represents District 63 in the Alabama House.