California is facing a looming health care workforce crisis: the state does not have enough of the right types of health workers in the right places to meet the needs of its growing, aging, and increasingly diverse population. This shortage has become even more apparent as we approach the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our brief makes key recommendations for your consideration that would increase the number of first-generation, low-income and underrepresented students of color who enter health care professions. We urge state leaders to invest in: