Housing, childcare affordability a 'barrier' to regional healthcare workforce: CdAEDC
From left: CdAEDC chair Mike Kennedy, Kootenai Health CEO Jamie Smith, Heritage Health CEO Mike Baker and Northwest Specialty Hospital CEO Rick Rasmussen spoke on a panel in front of about 400 people during CdAEDC's annual meeting Wednesday.
HAILEY HILL/Press
COEUR d’ALENE — A shortage of affordable housing and childcare is proving to be a major barrier for those in Kootenai County’s healthcare industry and was a central topic of discussion during the Coeur d'Alene Economic Development Corporation’s annual meeting Wednesday.
About 400 people heard from the CEOs of Kootenai Health, Heritage Health, and Northwest Specialty Hospital during a panel discussion at The Coeur d'Alene Resort on both the challenges and successes of the region’s healthcare industry.
Area healthcare providers are losing essential workers because they’re unable to afford housing or childcare in the area, said Northwest Specialty CEO Rick Rasmussen.
“People are leaving every day,” Rasmussen said.
According to the annual report from CdAEDC, “housing in the $350,000 to $400,000 range remains vital to attract and retain essential workers like teachers, nurses, first responders, and many others.”
However, the median single-family home price in Kootenai County in March was nearly $550,000, according to Coeur d'Alene Regional Realtors.
Rasmussen said housing projects like Miracle on Britton are helping to retain nurses and other healthcare workers in North Idaho.
“They can stay here forever now,” Rasmussen said.
University of Idaho’s Russell Baker cited statistics that show a primary physician shortage in every county in the state, with rural areas being the hardest hit.
“The only way we can continue the growth and prosperity here is if people can see themselves living here, and aging here,” Baker said.
Partnerships with North Idaho College, the Kootenai Technical Educational Campus, and other educational institutions have been invaluable to ensuring a strong healthcare workforce in the region, the CEOs concurred.
“Those have been developed because they’ll ask what we need,” said Heritage Health CEO Mike Baker.
Kootenai Health CEO Jamie Smith commended the work all three providers have done in the region. He cited progress in women's health services, behavioral health, and said they quickly connect those in need of care.
“The level of service we provide is, for the most part, equivalent to any large medical center in the country,” Smith said.