Community health workers can fill patient care gaps across North Country
The following op-ed, written by Tosha Grimmer, was published on the Press-Republican on March 12, 2026. Tosha is the executive director of the Caring Gene® Program.
With health care coverage and cuts on the mind of the average American, it’s a continuing workforce shortage that should concern New Yorkers, with unfilled positions straining services from the North Country to all corners of the state.
The numbers tell a stark story. According to the Iroquois Healthcare Association’s 2025 workforce report, there are more than 8,000 vacant positions across the region, with registered nurse vacancies more than doubling since 2018. Long-term care facilities and emergency departments are hit hardest. Temporary staff fill some of the gaps, but open positions take nearly three months to fill on average, leaving patients and communities waiting.
And while much of this focus has been on nursing, there are other health care positions just as crucial to the workforce, ones that can improve treatment outcomes and stabilize the industry.
One of those roles that deserves more attention is the community health worker.
These medical personnel are frontline professionals who connect people to health care, behavioral health and social care services, often keeping patients out of emergency settings while easing the burden on nurses and nurse aides. They facilitate access to available health care resources, counseling, and social support to those in need; bridge the often frustrating gap between patients and care; and work to promote, maintain, and improve the overall health of their communities.
Simply put, community health workers serve as vital connection to improve access to care for people who may otherwise struggle to find it.
With the need for these professionals set to increase by 14% by 2032, active pipelines are necessary to educate and train new recruits.
New Yorkers—in the North Country and elsewhere—need creative solutions to strengthen the community health worker pipeline. That’s where partnerships between policy, education, health care, and nonprofit leaders come in.
For example, the Caring Gene® Career Pathways Training Program recently teamed with educational partners SUNY Schenectady County Community College (SCCC) and Hudson Valley Community College to provide aspiring community health care workers with funds for tuition and books, academic and career support services, and job search assistance for positions currently paying an average of nearly $57,000 per year.
For some, training for work in community health care can feel intimidating. A career pathways model can make preparation more accessible and manageable. It connects people to education, training, and real-world experience so, once ready, they can step into a career with confidence and continue growing over time. This can directly increase the likelihood of more candidates pursuing education and careers in the field and, in turn, answer the current needs of our state’s health care workforce.
This pathways model is just one approach, but good news: It’s working. SCCC had a cohort graduate this past December and continues to offer this program to students. In addition, North Country Community College is tentatively planning to launch a new program this summer. Leaders in our sector, including the business community, educators, and lawmakers, can add to this success by coming together with outside-the-box ideas, as well.
Throughout the North Country and beyond, New Yorkers deserve a healthcare system that can support patients in need. This starts with a robust cohort of health professionals, enabled by career pathways training that can take trainees from the classroom to our communities and bridge the gap from where our workforce is to where it needs to be.
– Tosha Grimmer serves as executive director of Caring Gene® Healthcare Career Pathways, Inc., which is the Region 2 Workforce Investment Organization for the New York State Health Equity Reform 1115 waiver. Prior to Caring Gene® Healthcare Career Pathways, Inc., Grimmer served as a school principal, an elementary school teacher, and an assistant professor in teacher education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master of Education in Human Development and Psychology. In addition, she has experience with educational nonprofits serving low-income families.