Governor Mills Announces New Maine Work opportunities & Restoration Approach Initiative to Improve Maine’s Health care Workforce

A new $21 million software, Healthcare Coaching for ME, expands availability of totally free and low-value profession schooling for health treatment workers and employers

Governor Janet Mills now declared the launch of Health care Training for ME, an initiative of her Maine Work & Restoration Prepare to improve Maine’s healthcare workforce by expanding availability of absolutely free and small-charge occupation coaching to support healthcare workers advance their professions, help workforce instruction wants of health care businesses, and catch the attention of new personnel to quick-expanding fields.

By way of the new Health care Education for ME internet site, people today and employers can hook up with schooling from employers and education partners, such as grownup education and learning courses, community faculties, and the college method. Individuals and businesses may possibly then apply to acquire tuition help to enroll in instruction courses, or supply training to their workforce, at minor or no expense.

The initiative is a partnership of the Maine Department of Labor, the Maine Department of Overall health and Human Providers, Maine Department of Education, Maine Community Higher education Process, and the College of Maine Procedure. It is supported by $21 million from the Maine Work opportunities & Restoration Program, which involves $8.5 million allocated to DOL and $12.5 million allocated to the Maine Neighborhood University Method for workforce education.

“The wellbeing care sector is one particular of Maine’s most significant employers, putting 1000’s of Maine people to perform in superior-paying jobs guarding the health of Maine people. But for a long time now, wellbeing treatment amenities across the point out have experienced to grapple with a shortage of staff and the pandemic has only produced the issue worse,” claimed Governor Mills. “These new schooling systems will make it easier and additional very affordable for people, specially youthful people today, to go after professions in health care and to shift up the occupation ladder into larger-paying out jobs, which supports our overall health treatment businesses and strengthens our well being treatment workforce in the very long-run.”

“The Maine Section of Labor is committed to connecting the persons of our state to superior-wage, in-demand careers. This new partnership and centralized web-site will be a crucial source for healthcare companies and workforce hunting to advance their and their workforce’s abilities,” said Laura Fortman, Commissioner of the Maine Division of Labor. “Healthcare instruction prospects can now be uncovered in one particular effortless to navigate position, and health care workers can likely accessibility occupation-advancing education with little to no expense to them or their employer.”

“The overall health of Maine men and women and the wellbeing of our economy count on getting a powerful, large-high quality overall health care technique,” stated Jeanne Lambrew, Commissioner of the Maine Office of Well being and Human Expert services. “The cornerstone of our overall health care process is the skilled specialists whose information, education, and compassion preserve Maine people wholesome. The Health care Education for ME software will appeal to more folks to these precious professions and help them progress in their occupations, a central purpose of Governor Mills’ strategy to improve Maine’s health and fitness care workforce now and into the long run.”

“We are happy to companion in this effort and hard work to present added pathways for those people who want to pursue careers as healthcare pros. Maine’s grownup schooling packages have several years of practical experience in giving marketplace-regarded, credential bearing trainings and options to jumpstart occupations in the healthcare workforce,” claimed Pender Makin, Commissioner of the Maine Office of Training. “Healthcare Training for ME will help streamline accessibility to these trainings and alternatives whilst increasing collaboration with companies and larger instruction applications to offer a lot more state-of-the-art training and employment possibilities.” By working immediately with health and fitness treatment employers across fields these types of as lengthy-time period care, emergency providers, hospitals, behavioral health and fitness, and dental, Health care Teaching for ME aims to enhance workforce instruction and retention charges. For present-day health and fitness treatment workers, the program gives free of charge or very low-value pathways to new capabilities and advanced credentials, specifically via shorter-time period teaching options. Prospective wellbeing care staff might obtain data, training, and other support to start out their occupations.

Beginning today, wellbeing care businesses with less than 100 personnel across their procedure who acknowledge MaineCare, could use for education funds to handle staff recruitment and retention difficulties stemming from the pandemic. All employers and people today could commence to use for coaching funds on May possibly 2, 2022.

Leaders from Maine’s health and fitness treatment business, colleges, and universities welcomed the launch of Health care Education for ME as a crucial and innovative method to support strengthen Maine’s significant wellness treatment workforce next the disruption of the pandemic. “The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced into focus the benefit of Maine’s hospital workforce and the benefits of professions in wellness treatment,” claimed Steven Michaud, President of the Maine Medical center Affiliation. “Throughout Maine, clinic personnel have saved lives and supplied significant-high quality care to their community communities. The Health care Teaching for ME plan will enable to entice far more persons to these professions and keep recent personnel, as component of the Mills Administration’s broader method to commit in and improve Maine’s overall health treatment workforce.”

“The two most essential indicators of pandemic restoration in Maine nursing households and assisted living communities are robust staffing and occupancy,” claimed Angela Westhoff, President and CEO of the Maine Overall health Care Association. “COVID-19 continues to put strain on these connected components and our users keep on being concerned about staff burnout, turnover, and a mass departure from caregiving altogether. MHCA is happy to lover with the Administration on tangible recruitment and retention solutions, like Healthcare Instruction for ME, that will encourage, incentivize, and cultivate the future generation of Maine’s health and fitness care pros.”

“As the premier producer of the state’s experienced healthcare workforce, the University of Maine Method appears to be ahead to this partnership,” explained Dannel Malloy, Chancellor of the University of Maine Technique. “The new Healthcare Training for ME initiative will assist much more Mainers pursuing superior-shelling out work caring for their group via superior-top quality healthcare education and learning and education that strengthen their individual social mobility and overall health results in rural Maine.”

“The small-phrase wellbeing care applications at Maine’s community faculties have been intended in partnership with medical associates throughout the point out, making certain that learners get exactly the capabilities needed for today’s place of work. Not only do we have excellent nursing and other 2-12 months applications, but we’re applying the Maine Work & Recovery Program money to drastically increase our limited-expression overall health care coaching programs,” stated Dan Belyea, Main Workforce Advancement Officer at the Maine Community School Program. “The Healthcare Coaching for ME software illustrates the reaction required to supply a qualified workforce to significant-desire overall health care positions, and the have to have to act speedily and collaboratively. Our brief-time period coaching embraces serious-time alternatives and the accelerated monitor in which learners can accomplish a credential of benefit and enter into the workforce in a make any difference of months.”

“These previous few a long time have been genuinely unprecedented in the expansion and complexity of the want inside of the behavioral wellness realm. Clinicians and team have had to do the job long hours and carry significant loads all across Maine,” stated Malory Shaughnessy, Govt Director of the Alliance for Dependancy and Mental Wellness Services.“Alliance associates are inspired by the Mills Administration creating and advancing the new workforce initiatives in the Maine Work opportunities & Restoration Plan. Seeking forward, we have hope that these new Healthcare Instruction for ME methods for vendors and staff will support with present-day desires as effectively as address our longstanding workforce shortages. We are excited to collaborate with the administration on this and their broader wellbeing care workforce endeavours.”

Health care Coaching for ME is aspect of a collection of initiatives from Governor Mills’ Maine Employment & Restoration Plan to make investments in the state’s health and fitness care workforce. Impending systems include things like scholarships and college student loan aid for people today in overall health treatment professions new recruitment attempts to stimulate young individuals to enter occupations in well being treatment and the creation of wellness care job navigators to assist persons fascinated in overall health treatment fields determine the right occupation path for them.

The Maine Work opportunities & Restoration Approach is the Governor’s program, authorized by the Legislature, to devote almost $1 billion in Federal American Rescue Prepare cash to strengthen the lives of Maine persons and family members, support organizations, make superior-having to pay careers, and establish an financial system poised for long term prosperity.

It attracts closely on tips from the  Governor’s Economic Recovery Committee and the State’s 10-Year Financial Enhancement Strategy, reworking them into serious motion to make improvements to the lives of Maine persons and reinforce the economic climate.

For far more about Maine Employment & Restoration Strategy, take a look at maine.gov/jobsplan.

 

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