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(KNSI) – This year’s Minnesota Hospital Association Annual Meeting was a memorable one for an area healthcare executive.

CentraCare Chief Administrative Officer Joe Kalkman says he received the Workforce Leader of the Year award for efforts to attract new talent to the industry. “The recognition is for work that I did this past year on behalf of Minnesota Hospital Association, leading a team of folks to create a roadmap for building a talent pipeline for hospitals and health systems across Minnesota.”

When asked about the current situation at CentraCare, Kalkman says the worker shortage is improving. “We are in a better spot than we were in the middle of the pandemic. Certainly, that was a most trying time, though we continue to face some workforce shortages in some key areas. Honestly, it’s going to take more than a couple of quarters here, it’s going to take a year or two or three to catch up.”

Jobs that are hardest to fill at any hospital now require specific training, education, and licensing. Kalkman used the example of respiratory therapist as an occupation where the industry is scrambling to bring people up to the necessary qualifications.

When talking about CentraCare specifically, he says the greatest challenge is in its rural hospitals and clinics.

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