New survey uncovers increased urgency for digital transformation among government leaders

A new survey released by the Center for Digital Government (CDG) reveals that state and local governments are investing in new technology as the need for operational efficiency reaches an all-time high.

CDG surveyed 100 state and local government leaders about today’s biggest challenges, priorities, and areas they are investing in. Only 13% of respondents believe they have made substantial investments in modernizing operations, but more than half (56%) reported they will upgrade their technology solutions by 2025.

Key insights uncovered by the survey include:

• 72% say operational efficiency is the top driver to modernize their operations, while 50% say cost savings and financial health is a top driver.
• Nearly half (49%) are currently implementing or planning to implement AI and automation by 2025.
• 67% say digital transformation is important to meeting their organization’s sustainability goals, and 44% say reducing paper waste by digitizing paper-based processes is the most common investment they are making this year.

Read more about the survey results from Samsara’s blog.

WA pledges millions in budget to boost skilled residential construction workforce

The Western Australia state government has pledged $47.6 million in its upcoming budget to boost the state’s skilled residential construction workforce as it faces an acute housing challenge.

In addition to providing support for apprentices, the budget allocates $2.7 million to expedite occupational licensing approvals and $11 million for targeted visa subsidies of up to $10,000 to attract skilled migrants to the building and construction sector. There will also be temporary changes to the state-sponsored visa scheme to make it easier for skilled migrants to connect with job vacancies in WA.

John Gelavis, executive director of Master Builders – which released a blueprint for future-proofing the building and construction industry’s workforce in April 2023 – noted that while the announcement was a step in the right direction, WA needs to attract around 55,000 workers, including 26,000 tradespeople, to the industry between February 2023 and November 2026 to keep up with growing demand for housing. Read more in WAtoday.

New Jersey’s temporary health care license program expanded mental health services during pandemic, says study

A new study from Rutgers University found that at least 3,700 out-of-state mental health providers utilized New Jersey’s COVID-19 Temporary Emergency Reciprocity Licensure program to provide mental health services to more than 30,000 New Jersey patients during the first year of the pandemic.

The state enacted the program in March 2020 to allow out-of-state, licensed health care providers to obtain a temporary license to provide care to New Jersey residents via telecommunication technologies or in person. According to research on temporary licensure reciprocity, at least 45 states waived or modified existing rules to allow health care providers to work across state lines through temporary licensure programs during the pandemic.

The researchers said that increasing access to mental health services is crucial as the U.S. grapples with increasing deaths attributed to drugs, alcohol, and suicide as well as a shortage of mental health providers across the nation. They also noted the study findings have important implications for long-term licensure reciprocity mechanisms, such as interstate licensure compacts.

“As states consider enacting laws to join interstate licensure compacts, policymakers should think through the ways in which more flexible and portable licensure can enhance access to the mental health workforce, especially for patients who are historically underserved, and mitigate the workforce supply crisis,” said Ann Nguyen, an assistant research professor at the Center for State Health Policy at the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research (IFH) and lead author of the study.

Read more from Medical Xpress.

Alberta flooded with applications from international nurses as requirements eased

The College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA) is reporting an exponential increase in the number of international applicants since the nursing regulator overhauled its application process in April to make it quicker and easier for internationally educated nurses to get clearance to work in the province.

CRNA Executive Director Andrew Douglas said that nearly 1,200 people have started the application process since the changes went into effect on April 4, and the college has issued 672 permits since the launch. For comparison, the regulator received 582 applications for an entire four-year period between 2018 and 2022.

The new system removes the requirement that nurses apply for a costly and lengthy credentials assessment through the National Nursing Assessment Service — as long as they meet other requirements that demonstrate their credentials, including passing an internationally recognized registration exam. It also includes different pathways depending on factors such as where the applicant trained and their registration status.

Douglas said the college’s goal is to process the most straightforward applications within 48 hours once the current surge is over. Lucy Reyes, president and founder of the Philippine Canadian Nurses Association, said this new crop of nurses will both ease staffing shortages and help relieve burnout among existing nurses, and she hopes the province will provide funding to the college to hire additional staff to deal with the surge. Read more from CBC.

More than 11,000 nurses take US licensure examination

According to Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo, a total of 11,013 nursing graduates from the Philippines took the U.S. licensure examination for the first time from January to March this year – representing a surge of 200 percent when compared to the same three-month period in 2022.

Rillo and other officials are investigating possible interventions to address the looming shortage of nurses in the Philippines due to overseas migration. The World Health Organization (WHO) expects the shortage to reach 249,843 by 2030 “unless greater investment is made now to retain them in the local health sector.”

To slow down the exodus of nurses to America and other foreign labor markets, Rillo is calling on Congress to pass House Bill 5276, which would increase the base pay of public nurses by 75%. Read more from the Manila Standard.

More news:

• Moviment Graffitti opposed proposed licensing regulations for Malta’s construction industry in its submission to the public consultation issued by the Building & Construction Authority. A spokesperson for the activist organization voiced concerns that the regulations lack clarity and transparency, saying that they “not only come tragically late but are also far too timid in their approach.”
• Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill that will expediate the licensing process in the state. Among other changes, the bill explicitly allows licensing boards to meet electronically, requires the Professional Licensing Agency to post information on board vacancies and application forms, and requires the agency to post the number of licenses issued and license wait times.

Also noteworthy:

Interesting opinion, commentary, and analysis from the web:

• Why AI might not take your job, just yet (Social Europe)
• 10 game-changing tech trends government CIOs need to know (ITP.net)
• Fixing the professional licensing process (New Jersey Business Magazine)

Disclaimer: The thoughts, opinions, and commentary of the articles we share links to in Week in Brief do not necessarily reflect those of Ascend Magazine or Thentia.