Heet Grant
The 2009 Legislature appropriated an additional $1.5 million for the 2009-11 biennium to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) for labor, management, and college partnerships to develop or expand and evaluate innovative training programs for incumbent hospital workers that lead to careers in nursing and other high-demand health care fields. The purpose of the funds is to build innovative programs that enhance the accessibility of college education for hospital workers, lead to increased capacity of the college system in nursing and other high demand health care fields, and bring greater diversity to the health care workforce.
For fiscal year 2009-10, $850,000 is available for new projects. In response to our request for proposals, the State Board received four application (a total of $1,008,664 in requests). Following is information on the proposal review process and funding.
The review team included two representatives from SEIU (775NW and 1199NW), two from the Washington State Hospital Association, two colleges (one east, one west/one WEC, one IC), the Workforce Board, and our Office of Adult Literacy. The team looked at each proposal to ensure it met the minimum criteria.
As a result of the review process, three new HEET grant projects have been awarded, serving students across the state in both urban and rural areas:
Bellevue College - $249,507 to train entry level hospital workers for higher paying jobs, beginning with clinical lab assistant or medical office reception training, and preparing them for more advanced positions allied health programs. Partners – SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and Evergreen Hospital Medical Center.
Bellingham Technical College - $359,575 to help incumbent workers in a variety of hospital positions, including housekeeping and maintenance staff, dietary aides, and ward and registration clerks, start or continue high demand, high wage career pathways to become medical records, surgical, pharmacy, or radiologic technicians, nursing assistants, LPNs, RNs, billing and coding specialists, or health unit coordinators. Partners - SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, Skagit Valley College, Whatcom Community College, Northwest Workforce Council, Northwest Alliance for Health Care Skills, St. Joseph Hospital, Skagit Valley Hospital, Island Hospital, Whidbey General Hospital, and United General Hospital.
Columbia Basin College - $212,360 to provide incumbent hospital employees direct access to nursing education. Partners - United Staff Nurses Union and Lourdes Medical Center.
Gov. Gregoire Announces Winners of Best Practice Awards
OLYMPIA - Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced the winners of the 2009 Workforce and Economic Development Best Practice awards. Five projects were recognized as models of success in creating jobs, building a skilled workforce and enhancing the economy in communities around the state.
"These five exceptional projects demonstrate the diversity, innovation and partnerships that are contributing to a new, stronger Washington," Gregoire said. "Each partnership is helping our state build a globally competitive economy, and a better future for working families."
The awards will be presented at the Workforce and Economic Development Conference in Spokane, Oct. 27-29, along with a Lifetime Achievement Award to David Harrison, a senior lecturer at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.
"Throughout his career, David has been a tireless advocate for educational and employment pathways that help all of Washington's citizens move ahead and into family-wage jobs," Gregoire said. "This award pays tribute to the work David has done so well in addressing the barriers many of our citizens face, and finding new ways to solve them."
This year's Best Practice Awards recognize leadership and exemplary accomplishment in a project, program or initiative. Winners are:
Health Careers for Youth (Seattle) This program creates a career and education pathway for low-income youth who might otherwise overlook promising careers in health care. Health Careers for Youth provides high school students with career exploration, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training, prerequisite coursework in nursing and allied health occupations, and work-based learning. Forty students have completed the program, with 90 percent completing CNA training and 60 percent earning an industry credential by passing the national CNA certification exam.
Rural Outreach Nursing Education (RONE) project of Lower Columbia College (Longview) The RONE project provides nursing education to areas of Washington that have limited access, helping address a critical skill shortage through classes delivered over the web. By recruiting within their community and providing the training on-site, rural communities can now grow their own nursing staffs. Rural hospitals, clinics and other outpatient facilities provide hands-on clinical experience as part of this two-year associate degree registered nurse program.