Schools are being asked to do more with less and are facing more mandated services, more students with IEPs, more competition for a shrinking pool of teachers, nurses, and therapists, all while budgets tighten and the pandemic-era funding cliff hits. In this episode, host Alex Acton talks with Ashley Donaldson, Division Vice President at Supplemental Health Care, about what's really driving the education staffing crisis and how districts are navigating it.
Ashley brings a rare vantage point to this conversation: a former special education teacher, behavior specialist, and IEP compliance lead who's also been on the other side of the table as a parent navigating speech services for her own child. Now she leads workforce planning and solution design for school district partners across the country.
Learn more: Visit www.shceducation.com to connect with Ashley and her team, or catch SHC Education at ASHA, CASE, and other upcoming industry events.

Episode 1: The Healthcare Pinch — with Scott Armstrong, Chief Revenue Officer
To kick off the Insight Series, host Alex Acton sits down with Scott Armstrong, Chief Revenue Officer at Supplemental Health Care and an 18-year veteran of healthcare workforce solutions, to unpack what's really driving the healthcare crunch.
They dig into the numbers behind the pressure: an aging population set to hit "peak 65," rising demand for specialized skills like imaging and robotic surgery, nursing school rejections due to faculty shortages, and projections that 40% of today's nurses may retire by 2029. Scott shares how health systems are rethinking retention, extending the careers of experienced clinicians, and balancing "high tech and high touch" approaches to care.
The conversation also tackles the unique challenges facing rural health systems operating on razor-thin margins, why a one-size-fits-all staffing strategy doesn't work, and how contingent labor costs compare to the pandemic-era spikes many still remember. Scott closes with practical advice for health system executives building a workforce strategy for the next three to five years.
Listen in for data-backed insight and real talk on where healthcare workforce planning is headed, and visit shccares.com to learn how Supplemental Health Care can help your organization navigate it.