October 2025 MDHHS Health Care Workforce Division Newsletter
Michigan Dept of Health & Human Services sent this bulletin at 10/23/2025 10:05 AM EDT
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October 2025
Welcome to the October 2025 edition of the Health Care Workforce Division newsletter!
This month’s newsletter will focus on MI health care workforce shortage areas and the 2025 Michigan Nurse Licensure Survey (NLS).
MI Health Care Workforce Shortage Areas
The 2025 National Shortage Designation Update (NSDU) was completed on Sept. 23, 2025. Thank you to everyone who worked collaboratively to ensure that the provider’s information was updated in time for the submission deadline.
A few Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) were identified as ineligible due to changes in census boundary data or/and because they no longer meet the required federal threshold to maintain their current designation. These ineligible designations are being re-evaluated for potential eligibility under other designation types. MDHHS Workforce/Access Section will replace HPSAs in proposed for withdrawal (PFW) status with new designations, when possible, including potential Medically Underserved Areas/Medically Underserved Populations (MUA/P) updates and special population HPSAs. If they meet the required thresholds, new applications will be submitted by Jan. 1, 2026.
Although the majority of counties and service areas have retained their HPSA designations, several are currently being re-evaluated for new designations, which may impact eligibility to some HPSA-related programs such as state and federal loan repayment programs.
We suggest reaching out to each specific program for official guidance about the implications of HPSAs in proposed for withdrawal status. The following guidance on how the PFW status may affect eligibility to some HPSA-related programs is from the 2021 NSDU:
- National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarships and Loan Repayment Programs - usually will not place any participants in designations in PFW status.
- NHSC Sites - typically will allow sites in a ‘Proposed for Withdrawal’ HPSA to apply or/and recertify with the goal of having the certification complete if the designation gets reinstated.
- CMS HPSA Physician Bonus Payments - historically CMS pulls bonus payments data in November for the next calendar year and will usually continue to award physicians in Geographic HPSAs in PFW status.
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J1 Visa Waivers - usually follows the same NHSC programs’ policy above.
- Facilities in HPSAs that are in PFW status will not be considered eligible to apply for a waiver through HHS J-1 Visa Waiver for Clinical Care.
- The Michigan Conrad 30 J1 Visa Waiver Program is a competitive program in MI, and providers serving areas with “designated” status are prioritized. HPSA designations are considered first priority followed by MUA/P designations. PFW HPSA’s will not be considered designated as HPSA’s for Conrad 30 program and will instead be evaluated as an MUA/P or flex spot depending on the location’s MUA/P status. Up to 10 flex spots may be allotted for providers that are not in a designated area.
Please review the list of HPSAs in proposed for withdrawal status below. If you have any questions about specific designations or applicants within your program or organization, don’t hesitate to reach out for clarifications. HPSAs in PFW status will be officially withdrawn in July 2026.
Note that HRSA scores HPSAs on a scale of 0-25 for primary medical care and mental health, and 0-26 for dental health, with higher scores indicating greater need.
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Primary Care HPSAs in Proposed for Withdrawal
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Mental Health HPSAs in Proposed for Withdrawal
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Dental Health HPSAs in Proposed for Withdrawal
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Additional Resources:
HPSA Tool - Find Shortage Designation by County
HPSA Tool - Find Shortage Designation by Site Address
Michigan Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA)
Michigan Nurse Licensure Survey (NLS)
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The annual Michigan Nurse Licensure Survey (NLS) has been supported by MDHHS since 2004 and is distributed to every licensed nurse in the state. The survey results, combined with nurse licensure data from the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), are used to produce a comprehensive report that informs state and local decision-making related to nurse recruitment, education, and employment. The 2025 NLS report, along with the executive summary, infographics, and specialty briefs, will be published on the Annual ONP Efforts and Reports page as they are finalized. |
| To support transparency and collaboration, the Office of Nursing Programs (ONP) hosts an annual partner meeting each October to review the previous year’s data and discuss any proposed updates to the survey tool. This year’s meeting was held October 7, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. If you have questions or are interested in attending future meetings, please contact Casey Klein at kleinc7@michigan.gov. | 
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Upcoming Opportunities & Other Updates
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Staff Spotlight:
Miguelina Carela Garcia, MPH Workforce/Access and Grants Management Section Manager |
Miguelina Carela Garcia serves as the Workforce/Access & Grants Management Section Manager within the MDHHS Health Care Workforce Division. She oversees several state loan repayment programs, emerging workforce programs and initiatives, safety net support and development, and planning activities to identify and address workforce shortages in Michigan. She also serves as the Michigan Primary Care Office (PCO) Director within MDHHS and PCO National Committee Co-Chair, and was honored with an Emerging Leader Award at |
the 2025 Annual PCO Conference in Washington, D.C. Miguelina joined MDHHS in 2017 and previously served as the Shortage Designation Specialist coordinating all designation activities for Michigan. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Puerto Rico with over ten years of experience in public health, workforce development, research, and data analysis, which includes working at the PCO in Puerto Rico and the Veterans Health Administration in Washington, D.C. |
Amber Myers, MPH- Division Director MyersA1@michigan.gov
Miguelina Carela Garcia, MPH- Workforce/Access & Grants Management Section Manager CarelaGarciaM@michigan.gov
Casey Klein, BS- ONP Section Manager kleinc7@michigan.gov
Sarah Jennings, DNP, MPA, RN, NEA-BC- ONP Senior Nurse Advisor jenningss2@michigan.gov
Kaylen Brooks, BA, BSN, RN- ONP Departmental Analyst brooksk22@michigan.gov
Brittany Brookshire, MPH- MSLRP Coordinator BrookshireB1@michigan.gov
Ninette Probyn- MSLRP ProbynN1@michigan.gov
Sophia Hubbell- NLRP, MSLRP HubbellS1@michigan.gov
Juliette Rousseau- Free Clinics & NLRP Program Coordinator RousseauJ@michigan.gov
Megan Linton, JD- MIOTA LRP Coordinator, NHSC Contact LintonM3@michigan.gov
Sarah Kleis, MA- Conrad 30/J1 Visa Program Coordinator KleisS1@michigan.gov
Reanna Kathawa- BHLRP Program Coordinator KathawaR@michigan.gov
Mattie Robinson, MS- BHLRP RobinsonM28@michigan.gov
Jilliann Betzer, LMSW- BHLRP, MI-BHISP BetzerJ@michigan.gov
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