Government and Nonprofit: Education, Healthcare, and Social Assistance

The industries described in this segment include the education, healthcare, and social assistance sectors of the economy. The types of employees included in this grouping are focused on providing assistance to other groups and individuals. This industry also looks at the individuals who use these various sectors. The Lower Eastern Shore region employs various facilities of all sizes within this industry, ranging from the institutions of higher education to healthcare and housing assistance. Collectively the number of jobs supported by this sector is greater than any other segment in the region’s economic landscape.

The Lower Eastern Shore region has three higher education facilities: Salisbury University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), and Wor‐Wic Community College. From 2013 to 2017 the number of under‐graduates enrolled in these schools has decreased every year. Salisbury University saw a decrease in undergraduate enrollment from 8,004 to 7,782, UMES saw 3,530 to 2,861, and Wor‐Wic saw 3,416 to 3,109 during that time period. However, Salisbury University has seen the number of graduate and professional enrollments steadily increase from 639 to 932 during the same period. High school graduation rates remained constant during this time at 87%. In the healthcare subsector the Lower Eastern Shore region has seen an improvement in emergency department visits related to mental health and addiction‐related conditions. From 2012 to 2017 the amount of emergency department visits related to mental health conditions decreased from 17,585 to 9,097 respectively. Over the same time period of 2012 to 2017 the number of emergency department visits related to addiction‐related conditions decreased from 5,525 to 5,159 respectively.

Going forward, there are a variety of ways the government and nonprofit industry can promote economic growth. One way is through developing the most effective way to connect the school systems with the private sector. One important method is to increase apprenticeship opportunities for students or individuals seeking a career change to gain industry experience. If the nonprofit sector can tap into the growing population of students enrolled in CTE courses it can help to coordinate both sectors.

Further collaboration between educational facilities and the private sector will prove highly beneficial to the workforce needs of the region. Closer coordination would result in greater responsiveness on the part of the educational sector with regard to program development in line with the needs of employers. In turn there would be greater opportunities for private sector employers to articulate their specific needs to the educational sector. Collaborative efforts should include highlighting the positive aspects of trade schools. These include immediate employment and wage earning coupled with the option to continue on a path to additional higher education at any time in the future.

An aging population in the region can be attributed to the challenges faced by nonprofits and healthcare. A disproportionate aging population has created a shortage of physicians specializing in elderly care. In addition, for the non‐profit sector the value of donations is increasing while the number of actual donations is decreasing. This in part related to age demographics in that younger persons generally believe it is more beneficial to donate their time rather than money.