Regional Alliances Map > Western Workforce Development Area (WDA) Regional Efforts
Western WDA Regional Efforts
Coulee Coalition Long Term Care Workforce Alliance
Mission
To develop regional strategies to improve the recruitment, retention, and recognition of the long term care workforce.
Contact
For more information, contact Andrea Hansen at 608-785-6509 or email: Hansen.andr@uwlax.edu, or WU LaCrosse Continuing Education and Extension. 1725 State Street, 205 Morris Hall, La Crosse, WI 54601
Jackson County Health Care Workforce Alliance
Mission
To improve Jackson Country's long term care workforce capacity through recruitment, retention, and recognition of the long term care workers.
Contact
For more information, contact Shawn Callisto at 715-284-3664 or email: callistos@brmh.net, or 711 W. Adams Street, Black River Falls, WI 54615
Trempealeau County Long Term Care Coalition
Mission
To share a message that long term care work is a profession with many career options to men and women providing a lifetime of satisfaction.
Contact
For more information, contact Mary Gullicksrud at 715-538-4312, x-3012, or email: mgullicksrud@tchcc.com or W20298 State Road 121, Whitehall, WI 54773
Western Wisconsin Workforce Development Board Healthcare Taskforce
Website
Region Covered
- Buffalo
- Crawford
- Jackson
- Juneau
- La Crosse
- Monroe
- Trempealeau and
- Vernon counties
Mission/Purpose
To address the issue of labor shortages in the health care industry in Western Wisconsin.
Goals
Task force goals include:
- The pursuit of broader grant opportunities,
- marketing health care careers,
- facilitating occupational ladders for health care workers,
- assembling data for employers and job seekers,
- increasing diversity of health care workforce, and
- improving retention and Attraction of the health care workforce.
Leadership
Pete Eide, Administrator of Hillview Health Care and Healthcare Taskforce Chair.
Members
- Franciscan Skemp Healthcare
- Gundersen Lutheran Health System
- Logistics Health, Inc. and
- Hillview Healthcare Center
Funding
Council of Workforce Investment Funds were used to support the following activities:
- To sponsor an Elaine Beaubian workshop on retention in health care fields.
- To support an event to recognize CNAs and their contributions.
WIA Incentive Grant dollars were used to facilitate an Intro to Health Careers Workshops and other projects used to recruit job seekers to health care careers. It was also used to facilitate work between case managers, students and educational facilities.
WIA Youth that attend the AHEC Healthcare Camp were sponsored by the WIA program.
Influenced the Youth Council to request that a career newsletter be sent to schools to highlight careers and specifically health care careers.
The Taskforce met with leaders from the Hmong community to ask them how we can recruit from the Hmong youth population.
The Job Center and Taskforce partners attended the Hmong New Year to promote health care careers. A meeting with the Hmong Youth Council is being arranged to promote health care careers to the youth.
The board has published two State of the Workforce Reports (created by Workforce Connections, Inc.) both with a focus on future labor shortage issues and retention and attraction strategies for employers.
Employer of Choice Awards have been given the last two years with the employer’s best practices published to encourage other employers in their efforts.
Obtained federal earmark grant funds from Senator Kohl’s office to train 10 licensed practical nursing students at Western Wisconsin Technical College in Viroqua. All ten students successfully completed the program.
Contacted the Ho-Chunk Nation about the possibility of joining efforts on grants to increase awareness of health care careers.
Aligned with Long Term Care Coalitions, the Health Science Consortium, the board in the 7 Rivers Region to assist them with their initiatives.
Schedule of Meetings
The taskforce meets on a quarterly basis.
Highlights
Reinstatement of LPN program at Western Wisconsin Technical College, which was made possible with an Earmark Grant from Senator Kohl’s office obtained by Workforce Connections, Inc.
Creation of a Healthcare Packet and CD that provides a description of the labor force for health care occupations at local hospitals and long-term care facilities; educational brochures; listing of hospital and long-term care facilities in the WDA; scholarship information; pay scales for health care occupations; etc. The packet includes a cover letter from the WDB and is disseminated to local school districts, job centers, etc. First and second editions have been circulated.