SC AHEC launches Healthcare Workforce Development Initiative

published on July 1, 2026

Last month, staff from across the South Carolina AHEC System met in Charleston to officially kickoff a new initiative that will focus on collecting data on the non-licensed healthcare workforce in the state’s rural and medically underserved communities. The initiative aims to address gaps in healthcare workforce data to inform effective workforce strategies in the future.

“We’ve found that data on South Carolina’s licensed healthcare workforce is comprehensive and readily available, but there is currently no centralized source of information for non-licensed health professions in the state,” said South Carolina AHEC executive director Dr. Ann Lefebvre. “Additional data is needed to support informed workforce recruitment and retention efforts and staff from SC AHEC’s regional centers are prepared to collect it at the local level and organize it for widespread dissemination.”

Collecting data on the non-licensed healthcare workforce

Health professions that are licensed within the state are mandated by regulatory boards within the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR), requiring them to renew their license either annually or biennially (every two years). Because of this, there are robust and updated licensure databases with basic demographic, practice, and location information for these types of health professionals, such as the South Carolina Health Professions Data Book.

However, many health professions essential to the day-to-day operations of health systems are not licensed, making workforce data for these roles difficult to obtain. To build and support the healthcare workforce South Carolina needs, understanding the needs of employers and the availability and output of training/education programs at the county-level for these occupations is crucial to develop strategic, data-driven recruitment and retention policies.

SC AHEC’s Healthcare Workforce Development Initiative in action

The first phase of this initiative will run through December 2028. During this period, AHEC Regional Healthcare Workforce Development Managers will collect workforce data in rural and medically underserved counties on a rolling basis. As data collection is completed in each county, county-level stakeholder meetings will be held to communicate findings and engage healthcare employers and other community stakeholders in discussions about local workforce needs.

The findings will also be made publicly available through county-level fact sheets, an interactive statewide data visualization, and other resources, which will be posted on the Healthcare Workforce Development Initiative webpage as they are completed.

Thank you to our funders!

This initiative would not be possible without funding from the state of South Carolina and a grant from The Duke Endowment.

The South Carolina AHEC System looks forward to collaborating with stakeholders across the state to develop a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of this sector of the healthcare workforce and sharing that information widely to assist in the development of data-driven, effective healthcare workforce policies for the future.

For the latest updates on the Healthcare Workforce Development Initiative, visit the webpage.

Lauri Riddell

Lauri is the Brand Manager for South Carolina AHEC based in Charleston, SC.