SNMIC plans to grow health care workforce in Southern Nevada
HENDERSON, Nev. – Workforce Connections awarded the Southern Nevada Medical Industry Coalition with its Career Advancement and Retention in Healthcare & Healthcare Information Technology grant on Sept. 28. The $750,000 grant, which runs from Oct. 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011, will provide inventive workforce development partnerships that address the shortage of qualified workers in the key sectors of healthcare and healthcare IT.
To accomplish the goals of the grant, SNMIC will implement its Health Care 20/20 program, which will develop a sustainable healthcare workforce for Southern Nevada over the next decade. Health Care 20/20 is a comprehensive and system-wide solution that delivers employers a well-trained workforce of nurses and allied health professionals by increasing workforce capacity through on-the-job and incumbent training programs, providing a reliable pipeline of workers to fill future entry-level jobs.
“Health Care 20/20 furthers the mission of Workforce Connections to ‘develop a world-class workforce,” said Doug Geinzer, CEO for SNMIC. “Not only is this a workforce development plan; it is an economic diversification and development necessity for Nevada.”
Until Nevada improves the quality and quantity of the healthcare workforce, economic diversification cannot happen, Geinzer added.
“Companies interested in relocating or expanding to Southern Nevada do their research and discover we are at the top of all the bad lists and at the bottom of all the good lists,” he said. “If we can improve the quality and quantity of the workforce, access to quality healthcare will also improve, which will ultimately improve Nevada’s ability to diversify.”
To do this, SNMIC, using the grant, will pay 50 percent of the wages for 35 new nurses for their first 90 days of work creating a “no lose” situation for facilities hiring these new nurses. Through the grant, SNMIC will also deploy incumbent training programs to increase entry-level capacity; train replacement entry-level workers; build a career center to target disadvantaged and culturally diverse populations; and provide job readiness to new graduates of healthcare Information Technology programs.
“Health care facilities want to hire experienced nurses,” Geinzer said. “Through Healthcare 20/20 we are going to give them what they need while also helping new nurses get jobs. SNMIC also sees the long-term benefits of collaborating with educators, relevant agencies and employers to match the right health care professionals with the right employers at the individual and community level. Our partnership with Workforce Connections is an excellent fit.”
When applying for the grant, SNMIC received support letters from every hospital in Clark County, which, said Geinzer, demonstrates the importance of this workforce training grant and the level of confidence our area hospitals have in the Southern Nevada Medical Industry Coalition.
SNMIC hopes to continue to grow the grant each year, helping an increasing number of people enter the health care profession, with the foundation of Health Care 20/20 built during this first year.
SNMIC exists to provide a collective voice to improve access and delivery of quality health care in Southern Nevada by fostering strategic alliances in the health care community, collaborating on human resource issues, and by acting as a proactive force for legislative improvements.
Founded in 2002, SNMIC is a 600-plus volunteer organization committed to improving the quality of life for the residents of Southern Nevada now and in the future. SNMIC stands as a collective voice to ensure improved access and delivery of quality health care to the rapidly growing region and focuses on legislative improvements, human resources and strategic alliances.
For more information on SNMIC, visit www.snmic.com.