New York’s healthcare workforce crisis is often framed as a hospital problem: too few nurses on the floor, too many vacancies, too much burnout. In the years following the pandemic, many health systems have reported double-digit vacancy rates for nursing and frontline roles. In response, hospitals have turned to signing bonuses, traveling staff, and internal retention programs.

But the real solution doesn’t start inside hospital walls. It begins in the communities those hospitals serve.

We see this disconnect play out every day in our work at Eve & Co, partnering with healthcare providers, workforce organizations, and community-based institutions across New York. 

With significant healthcare workforce shortages predicted in the coming decade, particularly in nursing and frontline care roles, these gaps are not simply a function of hospital management. They are the result of a fragmented and underdeveloped workforce.

There has been no shortage of effort to address this across the healthcare ecosystem. Health systems, educational institutions, and community organizations are all investing in workforce solutions. But, too often, these efforts operate in parallel rather than as part of a coordinated strategy.

The result is a system that is both under-resourced and misaligned.

Aspiring healthcare workers face unclear pathways, limited access to training, and financial barriers that make it difficult to enter or advance in the field. At the same time, employers struggle to fill critical roles that require not only technical skills, but also deep ties to the communities they serve.

This is at the heart of the problem—and it points directly to the solution.

Healthcare recruitment and retention must begin in communities: in high schools, community colleges, workforce training programs, and local organizations that shape how individuals enter and move through the workforce. These form the foundation of a sustainable healthcare workforce, yet too often, they are disconnected from the health systems that ultimately depend on them.

Addressing this challenge requires a fundamental shift in how we define—and design—the healthcare workforce. Hospitals were never meant to solve this problem alone—and expecting them to do so has led to fragmented, short-term solutions.

What is needed instead is a coordinated, citywide workforce strategy with three elements.

First, New York should invest in structured, community-based career pathways that make healthcare jobs more accessible and attainable. This includes expanding partnerships with community colleges, vocational programs, and workforce development organizations to create clear, supported routes into roles such as nursing, allied health, and care coordination. These pathways must be designed with direct input from employers to ensure alignment with real workforce needs.

Second, cross-sector collaboration must become the norm, not the exception. City and state agencies, educational institutions, and community-based organizations all have a role to play in building and sustaining the healthcare workforce. Formalizing these partnerships—with shared data, aligned incentives, and coordinated planning—can help ensure that workforce efforts are scalable, responsive, and equitable.

Finally, retention must be addressed as part of the same system—not as a separate challenge. Compensation matters, but so do career mobility, continuing education, and supportive work environments. Creating opportunities for advancement, particularly for entry-level workers, is essential to building a workforce that stays.

New York has long been a leader in healthcare innovation. But innovation alone will not solve the workforce crisis. Without a stronger, more connected pipeline, even the most advanced systems will struggle to meet growing demand.

The path forward must include a shared, citywide priority. By aligning efforts across sectors and investing in the full workforce pipeline—from education to employment—New York can build a system that is not only better staffed, but more equitable and more resilient.

Because the future of healthcare will depend not just on the care we deliver, but on the workforce we build to deliver it.