What is the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce?
Purpose and Mission of the GBHCW
Mission
The Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce (GBHCW) identifies and addresses healthcare workforce needs with an emphasis on underserved communities.
Vision
The GBHCW works to see Georgia communities, especially in medically underserved areas, have improved access to needed physicians and other health care practitioners, thereby enhancing the health and wellbeing of Georgia's citizens.
The Board meets quarterly to address the challenges presented above. Although meeting times and location may vary, the majority of meetings are held at the Board’s office in Atlanta. Agendas, minutes, and additional meeting information can be found on the Board’s website.
Main functions of the Board include:
- Provide funding for medical education programming (schools and residencies)
- Produce data reports on the state’s health care workforce
- Administer service-cancelable loan repayment programs
- Conduct programming to assist residents/physicians with finding a place to practice in Georgia
Originally started in 1978 as the Joint Board of Family Practice, the Board changed its name to the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce in 1999. In 2011, the powers and duties of the State Medical Education Board were transferred to the GBPW. Then, loan repayment programs for dentists were added to the Board in 2016, and programs for physician assistants (PA) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) were officially added to the Board’s jurisdiction in 2017. To reflect its more inclusive nature of other health care professions, the Board’s name changed to the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce in 2019.
The Board is administratively attached to the Georgia Department of Community Health for certain functions such as budget and human resources.