(Washington,
D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Labor,
Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Subcommittee,
announced that she has included funding to boost South Sound education, health
care, and labor priorities in the Fiscal Year 2011 LHHS Appropriations bill.
“In
the 21st century economy, it is critical that we continue investing in local
projects that train our workforce, teach our students, and boost our economy in
communities throughout the South Sound,” said Senator Murray. “These investments will
fund community priorities like employment partnerships and nursing education. I
was proud to fight for these local investments, and I’m going to continue
working to help Washington state communities meet the needs of their families.”
Having
passed the LHHS Subcommittee, the bill will now go to the full Senate
Appropriations Committee before going to the full Senate for consideration.
The
following projects were included in the bill for South Sound:
Olympic College, Nursing Education Equipment and Teaching Lab –
$350,000
This funding will help provide equipment and supplies for the
Nursing Education Equipment and Teaching Lab project that will centralize
training services on the Olympic College campus to help expand the health care
workforce.
“Bringing the nursing program to Olympic College’s Bremerton
campus will free up much needed space at the Poulsbo campus, eliminating the
inefficiency of nursing students shuttling between campuses, and improving
access to clinical sites. The college is currently unable to meet the
demand for nursing from students and employers. Funding for the equipment
will allow the program to expand to help meet the huge current and projected
need for trained nurses. Olympic College recently received accreditation
at the baccalaureate level and currently offers a BSN degree designed to meet
local workforce needs. This funding will support our entire flagship
nursing program,” said Dr. David Mitchell, Olympic College President.
Pierce
College Puyallup, Nursing Educational Equipment – $130,000
This
funding will allow Pierce College Puyallup to purchase hands-on medical
simulation equipment which will provide hands-on training in a low-risk setting
to improve the skills of the health care workforce.
“The entire
Pierce County community will benefit from the learning that will occur in these
two, fully-equipped buildings. Students learning in a hands-on environment will
have a greater educational experience, and community members who visit campus
to view performances will have the
opportunity to continue their lifelong learning,” said Pierce
College Chancellor Michele L. Johnson.
Providence St. Peter Hospital, Southwest Washington Telestroke
Network – $135,000
This
funding is for the purchase of equipment for a broadband-based telestroke
network that will allow physicians treating patients at rural hospitals to
consult with a neurologist at Providence St. Peter Hospital.
“A key tenet of Providence’s vision is access to health care. Patients
experiencing a stroke have precious little time to access emergency care.
This program will bring a virtual neurologist into the most remote hospitals in
Southwest Washington, saving lives and preventing long-term disability.
Now patients living in remote areas will have the same access to stroke specialists
as those in close proximity to Providence
St. Peter Hospital, the only Joint Commission certified primary stroke center
in our five-county area,” said
Medrice Coluccio, Chief Executive of the Providence Southwest Washington
service area and Providence St. Peter Hospital.
SEIU Healthcare NW Training Partnership, Training Partnership
Telepresence Network for Rural Healthcare Workers – $300,000
This
funding will create Washington’s first telepresence technology network which
will increase skills among home care aides in rural Washington by offering
access to specialized home care training.
“For
too long, home care workers – especially those in rural areas – have been
isolated and unable to access quality training to advance their skills and move
along a career track. This grant will help the Training Partnership build on
its innovative training platform and develop a sophisticated web-based training
program for caregivers in rural areas to improve their skills, improve the
quality of care they can provide, and move along a career path to higher skill,
higher wage jobs,” said
David Rolf, Chair, Board of Trustees, SEIU Healthcare NW Training Partnership.
Washington State Workforce Board, Industry Skill Panel: Phase II –
$1,000,000
This
funding will expand and improve proven models for collaboration between
employers, workforce development, and education to meet the employment needs of
business and individuals.
“It’s
not easy to get competitors to cooperate with each other but Skill Panels have
proven to be effective in fostering the communication, information sharing and
problem solving that allows communities and their key employers to get the most
out of their training system and to fill skill gaps that are stunting their
local economies,”
said Eleni Papadakis, Executive Director of Washington State Workforce
Training and Coordinating Board.
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