2017 Indiana Health Workforce Collaborative Conference

Strategies for strengthening Indiana’s health workforce is among the focal points of a statewide conference set for Saturday, June 17 in Indianapolis. For more information

Community health worker

A promising healthcare initiative aims to eliminate language as a barrier to effective wellness and medical treatment.

WorkOne Northwest is one of several partners promoting community health workers to serve the area’s Spanish speaking communities. A state of Indiana workforce grant—Skill Up—is funding the unique program.

Esperanza Ministries—based in Greenwood—is leading this initiative.  The state training grant will allow the nonprofit group to serve 100 individuals in Lake and four other Indiana counties with large Hispanic/Latino populations. Read full article

Developing the pipeline--Healthcare 360

This was not your normal school bus ride for Portage high school students. On their way to explore healthcare careers at Porter Regional Hospital, the students were told the following scenario:  A woman had come to the hospital’s emergency room complaining of chest pains.

There was a collective sigh of relief when the students were then informed that the “patient” and her symptoms were fictitious. The scenario had been created by the hospital in order that the students could talk with the various staff that becomes involved everyday in real, life-or-death situations. Read full article

New partnership between St. Mary Medical Center and Hobart High School

They’ve only just begun.

An award-winning partnership (see related article) between St. Mary Medical Center and Hobart High School is expanding its services to students interested in healthcare.

Recruitment has begun to launch a medical assistant program.  The hospital—and affiliated medical offices—believes it will hire more than 500 persons for such positions through 2020.

“The medical assistant position is a great way to enter the healthcare field,” said Sharron Catania, Director of Human Resources.  The current hourly wage averages $13.77 in Indiana with holidays off and limited weekend shifts. Read full article

Local partnership draws state award

A partnership between St. Mary Medical Center and Hobart High School resulted in statewide recognition and a college scholarship for a senior student at the school.

The hospital and high school were awarded the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s inaugural School Counseling-Business Partnership of Year award at a luncheon ceremony held in Indianapolis in early February. Read full article

Engage with our schools as partners in education, training, and informing our students about high quality jobs available in the region. To participate,  fill out this form.
For more information on the Manufacturing Consortium contact Sandy Alvarez at
219-462-2940, ext. 33, or
For more information on this newsletter contact Barbara Grimsgard at
219-462-2940, ext. 28,  or bgrimsgard@cwicorp.com