HAP's 2026 Workforce Summit Register Now

Welcome
Nicole Stallings, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania
 

Collaborative Empowerment: Improving Connection and Belonging Across Organizations
Phil Gwoke, Managing Director, Bridgeworks

Today’s health care workforce spans multiple generations, roles, and lived experiences, all while serving patients with rapidly evolving expectations for communication, care, and trust. Collaboration across these differences is essential to workforce stability, engagement, and patient experience. In this session, Phil Gwoke, Founder of BridgeWorks, will connect workforce collaboration to patient experience, and attendees will leave with practical strategies to strengthen trust, improve communication, and empower teams across clinical and administrative roles, creating a more connected workforce and collaborative care environment.
 

State of the Health Care Workforce: Data, Trends and What's Next
Robert Shipp III, PhD, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, Vice President, Workforce and Clinical Affairs, The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania

Gain a comprehensive look at the Commonweath of Pennsylvania’s health care workforce—and where we’re headed. We’ll unpack key findings from HAP’s 2026 Workforce Survey, including trends in vacancies, turnover, and hiring challenges across clinical and non-clinical roles. In addition, we’ll explore how state and federal policy is shaping workforce realities on the ground. 
 

Networking Break
 

Ignite Talks: Training the Next Generation and Developing Career Pathways

• Grow-your-own workforce strategies are critical to addressing physician and clinician shortages, especially through expanded Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs in high-need and rural specialties.

• Early and intentional pipeline development—starting in high school—builds long-term workforce stability through co-ops, externships, educational sponsorships, and exposure to diverse healthcare roles.

• Behavioral health recruitment and retention require targeted approaches that prioritize safety, wellbeing, and partnerships to attract and sustain talent in a high-risk, high-demand field.

• Community-based and equity-focused training models, including rural residencies, FQHC partnerships, and local “bring them home” recruitment strategies, strengthen both workforce supply and community health outcomes.

• Structured mentorship, coaching, and competency-based learning help learners transition smoothly from classroom to career while improving job readiness, confidence, and long-term retention.
   

Networking Lunch
 

Workforce Innovation in Health Care: Exploring Market Trends and Leadership Strategies 

Workforce innovation has become a key focus for leaders seeking to address staffing challenges, improve operational efficiency, and enhance patient care. This presentation draws on a comprehensive market research report to examine emerging trends in workforce innovation, showcasing how health systems and leaders across the industry are responding to these challenges and providing insights into how organizations are reimagining workforce models to drive success. Attendees will learn about key trends, the role of culture and leadership in fostering innovation, and how peers are implementing creative solutions to common workforce challenges.
 

Ignite Talks: Strategies to Enable Better Care

• Leveraging AI and Virtual Care to Close Gaps and Advance Equity —Explore patient-facing AI health care agents and other virtual strategies that simplify care, improve access, and address equity gaps across diverse populations.
• Innovative Workforce Models to Strengthen Nursing and Care Delivery—Highlight a system-wide nursing workforce transformation through an integrated nursing strategy focused on flexibility, morale, shared governance, and high-quality patient care, including deployment of the S.E.A.L. RN Team to areas of greatest need.
• Innovative Care Models for Behavioral Health and Emergency Departments—Examine new models to support behavioral health services and address ED overcrowding, including the use of external partners and resources to augment care teams and improve patient flow.
   

Networking Break
 

Ignite Talks: Retention and Wellness

• Peer-Led Recruitment and Workforce Engagement—Highlight an RN Ambassador Program that empowers experienced bedside nurses and patient care assistants to serve as trained, compensated ambassadors who recruit, mentor, and support new hires through authentic, relationship-driven engagement.
• Scaling Mental Health First Aid Across the Health System—Explore approaches to initiating and expanding Mental Health First Aid training, equipping staff across an integrated health system with tools to recognize, respond to, and support mental health needs.
• Advancing Workforce Wellbeing—focused on strategies and programs that promote clinician wellbeing, resilience, and psychological safety across healthcare teams.
   

Peer Networking Exchange
 

Adjourn