Workforce Connections explores job opportunities for Southern Nevada workers

In these difficult economic times, an important sector stands out as a growing opportunity for living wage employment -- health care. As the baby boom generation ages, there will be both an exodus from the health care labor force of mature workers and a growing need for health care services.

Recent reports have indicated that this market for health care labor has tightened; however, current five-year projections show robust growth in virtually every health care-related occupation. In Nevada, the nursing occupation will grow by 37 percent with an annual growth rate of 3 percent through the year 2016.

Looking forward, 2010 vs. 2020 projections show that there will be a 21 percent growth of health care positions in the nation while Nevada will have a 17 percent growth. This will result in a need for 18 percent more nurses, 44 percent more home health aides, 23 percent more medical assistants, 40 percent more personal and home care aides and 16 percent more physicians and surgeons.

Workforce Connections, formerly the Southern Nevada Workforce Investment Board, explores new strategies and emerging industries that will create new job opportunities for Southern Nevada's workers. It works directly with employers to identify and classify new jobs that will need to be filled and then provides the funding and resources to train individuals for these jobs.

Workforce Connections' priority is training for jobs and, more importantly, careers that sustain families and bolster our population's future. Through education, the organization sets the foundation for good paying jobs and the economic stability of this community.

Currently, Workforce Connections works in concert with local area nonprofits and other organizations to recruit, case-manage, train and place individuals in careers that will lead to career laddering and a livable wage.

Southern Medical Industry Coalition responded to a request for proposal (RFP) for health care sector training and employment and was awarded $750,000 in November 2010.

These funds allowed Southern Medical Industry Coalition to build the infrastructure to accommodate training in health care, creating the Health Care 20/20 program. One innovative idea of the Health Care 20/20 program is to provide on-the-job-training for new nursing graduates. The program supports hospitals in their quest to be proactive when recruiting, training and retaining nurses who are both educated in and residing in Nevada.

Workforce development in health care takes novice nurses with little practical experience and provides them with the time, experiences and guidance of experienced nurses to develop their bedside skills. Prior to the Workforce Connections and Southern Medical Industry Coalition partnership, many hospitals found it unaffordable to provide a transitional program for new graduates and without experience, new graduate nurses were unable to secure employment.

"We are now able to offer 50 to 90 percent of the wages for on-the-job-training for the first three months. This allows the health care facilities to recruit their own graduates. What a better way to recruit and retain an employee," said Debra Gulley-Collins, nurse, project specialist for Workforce Connections.

Once the new graduate is enrolled in the program, he or she works with job coaches and career specialist for guidance and support.

Workforce Connections recently released a notice for RFP to provide employment and training services under the Workforce Investment Act Adult Programs and Dislocated Worker Program. The intent of the RFP is to secure innovative ways to increase the employability of the Southern Nevada workforce and provide employers with appropriately trained and skilled employees for the health care sector.

"The workforce development system is moving the right direction," Gulley-Collins said.

During the 2009 legislature, Senate Bill 239 was passed, establishing the Nevada Health Care Sector Council. The council's mission was to identify job training and education programs to best meet regional economic development goals. Last fall, the council was funded by the Affordable Care Act: State Health Care Workforce Development Planning grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration. The grant proposal was written and submitted by Workforce Connections and Department Employment Training and Rehabilitation. The $150,000 grant activated the council, which has since been working on formulating a plan to expand Nevada's primary full-time equivalent health care workforce between 10 and 25 percent over the next 10 years.

There are a total of 23 grantees that received the planning grant and one grantee for the implementation grant.

The council is made up of more than 25 health care professionals as well as additional subcommittee members. Nevada Health Care Sector Council members represent Service Employees International Union Nevada, Keep Our Doctors in Nevada, Nevada Hospital Association, Culinary Workers Health Fund, Nevada Health Care Association, Nevada State Board of Nursing, Southern Nevada Health District, AARP Nevada, Department of Health and Human Services, State Health IT, Nevada State Health Division, Primary Care Office, PPN Health Access, Nevada Nurses Association, UNLV Schools of Nursing and Allied Health, Nevada/National Black Nurses Association, AARP, College of Southern Nevada, Nevada P-16 Council, St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, Spring Valley Hospital, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Nevada State Medical Association, the state of Nevada, Cleveland Clinic Nevada, Southern Nevada Medical Industry Coalition, Nevada System of Higher Education, Nevada Department of Education, University of Nevada, Reno Division of Health Sciences and Center for Research Design and Analysis and Nevada Rural Hospital Partners.

Dr. Maurizio Trevisan, executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer of the University of Nevada Health Sciences System, and Debra Scott, executive director of Nevada State of Board of Nursing, serve as the chair and co-chair, respectively, of the Nevada Health Care Sector Council.

Linda Yi, project director for the HRSA planning grant, works with the sector council to ensure that all objectives of the grant are being met.

Bringing together representatives from every facet of the health care industry was vital to serving the council's general purpose, Trevisan said.

"The health care industry is the ultimate source of employment. They need to be engaged in this process," he said. "It's important the strategies are agreed upon and everyone is on the same page."

The plan is a first for the state and what comes from it will be focused on overall health care improvement and training to ensure a healthier future.

"The goal is to increase the volume of professionals and decrease the ratios," said Doug Geinzer, CEO of the Southern Nevada Medical Industry Coalition and member of the Nevada Health Care Sector Council. "For the first time, Nevada is working on a plan to identify the future of Nevada's health care industry, and the energy and impact the plan generates will affect Nevadans for decades."

Nevada ranks 51st in the United States in the percentage of the population employed in health care occupations; 49th in the number of registered nurses per capita; 46th in regards to the number of active primary and patient care physicians per capita; 47th in the number of hospital beds per 100,000 people; 45th in the list of healthiest states; and 49th for having positive determinants that can lead to healthier outcomes for Nevada's citizens.

The plan, set for completion by this summer, will identify changes in the health care industry that will make the most impact. The Nevada Health Care Sector Council is charged with compiling data, writing a final report with proposal for changes and recommendation for implementation.

This information will be available to inform the Governor's Workforce Investment Board and will allow Nevada to submit a grant application to Health Resources and Services Administration in order to fund the implementation plan for an award of $3 million during a two-year period to increase the success rate of recruiting, maintaining, graduating and placing students in health care positions in the state of Nevada, thereby increasing the state's health care workforce.

"I have always wanted to work toward a solution to the health care shortage. This is only the beginning; health care is multifaceted," Gulley-Collins said.

Workforce Connections, Southern Nevada Medical Industry Coalition 20/20 program and the Nevada Health Care Sector Council will continue to work in concert to expand ways to increase the health care work force and develop other programs throughout the state.

For additional information on the Health Care Sector programs and Nevada Health Care Sector Council, visit www.nvworkforceconnections.org or call 702-638-8750.