News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 21, 2008
Contact: Pat Ward
360-704-4342 pward@sbctc.edu
Five community and technical colleges receive funds to train more healthcare workers
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Five community and technical colleges have been awarded Hospital Employee Education and Training (HEET) grants from the State Board for Community & Technical Colleges (SBCTC) to meet the growing demand for more well-trained healthcare workers in Washington.
The 2008 Legislature designated $1.5 million to SBCTC for labor, management and college partnerships to identify and fund innovative training programs leading to careers in nursing and other high-demand health care fields for current hospital workers.
In partnership with SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and the Health Work Force Institute (an affiliate of the Washington State Hospital Association,) SBCTC devised the HEET grant process, inviting proposals from the state’s 34 community and technical colleges.
Of seven colleges that applied, five were chosen by the review team, which included representatives from SEIU (775NW and 1199NW), the Health Work Force Institute, the Center of Excellence for Allied Health, several colleges and SBCTC.
“The funding of these projects is a win for our hospitals because staffing shortages continue to increase in Washington state,” said SEIU Healthcare 1199NW President Diane Sosne, RN. “Current employees are already familiar with the healthcare system and are eager to advance their careers. Providing funds to train these employees to move into high vacancy positions will benefit patient care, provide the personnel that our hospitals need, and provide career mobility for our members.”
"We are thrilled to partner with the State Board and SEIU in securing and distributing funding for these innovative programs," said Jaime Garcia, executive director of the Health Work Force Institute. “Each one provides opportunities for entry-level workers to gain the skills and training to advance, filling a dire need for health care professionals critical to Washington’s hospitals.”
The five HEET grant projects, serving students across the state in both urban and rural areas, are:
- Lake Washington Technical College – $281,633 to increase nursing student capacity by using non-traditional scheduling of clinical rotations at participating hospitals. This will allow healthcare workers to schedule nursing courses around their current work schedule. Partners – SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, Stevens Hospital, Valley General Hospital, Edmonds Community College, and Everett Community College.
- Lower Columbia College – $300,000 to provide experience with high-fidelity patient simulation (lifelike medical mannequins) to incumbent hospital workers living and working in rural communities throughout the state who are enrolled in the college’s Rural Online Nursing Education (RONE) program. Partners – Lumber and Sawmill Workers Union Local 2767 and Morton General Hospital.
- North Seattle Community College – $297,400 to help certified nursing assistants at Northwest Hospital become licensed practical nurses and, ultimately, registered nurses, with a built-in exit point for those wishing to get a promotion as a clinical lab assistant. Partners – SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and Northwest Hospital.
- Renton Technical College – $400,000 to prepare incumbent hospital workers for college-level work, develop math competency related to algebra, and certified nursing assistant training designed to prepare for an emergency department technician position as an interim step to a nursing career. Partners – SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, Highline Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, Highline Community College, and Seattle Central Community College.
- Spokane Community College – $117,828 to respond to the local healthcare shortage by increasing the overall ability for incumbent workers to gain needed classes and career development on-site at Sacred Heart Medical Center. Courses will be taught on-line and/or in the evening. Partners include UFCW Local 21 and Sacred Heart Medical Center.
More information about the grant process can be found at http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/college/_e-wkforcehospitalemployee.aspx.
# # #
Top of page