COVID-19 Health Workforce Surge Planning

The patient surges due to COVID-19 require rapid training and deployment of the existing health workforce, innovative and creative methods to increase the skills and types of individuals providing care on the frontlines, and the launch of alternative care settings.
 
This page provides recommendations and rapid response resources that support sudden scale-up of the health workforce to address the COVID-19 crisis in California. Faculty affiliated with Healthforce Center at UCSF developed many of the resources on this site. The opinions reflected here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the University of California system or UC San Francisco.
 
This work is generously supported by the California Health Care Foundation.
 

Workforce and Staffing

Rough Guide to Emergency Hospital Staffing for COVID-19 Response (Excel)
Tool for calculating staffing needs as acute care beds are added to a facility.
Source: Healthforce Center at UCSF Faculty | March 25, 2020
 
Health Workforce Baseline and Surge Ratio (PDF)
Source: Healthforce Center at UCSF Faculty | March 21, 2020
 
Healthforce Center COVID-19 Workforce Recommendations (PDF)
This document provides recommendations that support rapid scale-up of the health workforce to address the COVID-19 crisis in California.
Source: Healthforce Center at UCSF Faculty | March 17, 2020
 
State Health Workforce Deficit Estimator
Interactive tool that estimates states’ need for specific health professions in acute care settings, under different scenarios of COVID-19 infection rates and health worker attrition.
Source: Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity
 

Alternative Care Sites

Alternate Care Site Orientation and Training (PowerPoint)
Source: Developed with support from Healthforce Center at UCSF Faculty | April 27, 2020

Adult Admissions to Low Acuity Alternate Care Sites During COVID-19 (PDF)
Source: Healthforce Center at UCSF Faculty | April 5, 2020

Patient Care Strategies for Scarce Resource Situations (PDF)
Source: Minnesota Health Care Preparedness Program | April 2020

Alternate Care Site (ACS) Toolkit (PDF)
Toolkit to help state, local, tribal, and territorial entities address potential shortages in medical facilities during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Federal Healthcare Resilience Task Force | March 30, 2020

Alternate Care Sites and Implementation (webpage)
Source: US Army Corps of Engineers

Alternate Care Sites Collection (webpage)
Source: TRACIE
 

Other Surge Planning Resources

Surge Capacity Bed Management Tools
Source: Northeastern University -  Healthcare Systems Engineering Institute

Colorado: Surge Planning Resource (PDF)
Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment | March 30, 2020
 
Michigan: Surge Planning Resource (PDF)
Source: Michigan Department of Health & Human Services | March 30, 2020
 
EMS Infectious Disease Playbook (PDF)
Planning resource for Emergency Medical Services
Source: TRACIE
 
 
 
Clinician Well-Being and Resilience (webpage)
List of strategies and resources to support the health and well-being of clinicians providing health care during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Source: National Academy of Medicine
 

Healthforce Center Insights In the Media

Why the Pandemic Means Unprecedented Pay for Some Nurses and Unemployment for Others
Mother Jones | June 2, 2020

'It's Getting Worse.' Nursing Home Workers Confront Risks in Facilities Devastated by Coronavirus
TIME | May 29, 2020

Hospital Layoffs Rising in California as Few Elective Procedures Are Performed
Times of San Diego | May 10, 2020

New California Nurses Jobless During Coronavirus Pandemic
Fox2 - KTVU News | May 5, 2020

Emerging Health Workforce Strategies To Address COVID-19
Health Affairs | April 20, 2020

These California Medical Workers are Signing up for Newsom's Health Corps - Despite Risks
Jefferson Public Radio | April 14, 2020

There Are Not Nearly Enough Nurses to Handle the Surge of Coronavirus Patients: Here's How to Close the Gap Quickly
Health Affairs Blog | March 31, 2020

California Starts Recruiting Retired and Student Doctors, Nurses to Handle Surge in Severely Sick People
Cal Matters | March 20, 2020

California Needs Nurses. So Why is the State About to Give Up 10,000 Prospects?
Los Angeles Times | March 25, 2020

California Needs Nurse, Doctors for Coronavirus Surge
Sacramento Bee | March 24, 2020

Clinical Training for Nursing Students Sidelined
Inside Higher Ed | March 23, 2020

 

 

 

Health Workforce Baseline and Surge Ratio (PDF)