Teaming Up for Healthcare Workforce Solutions

The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions to New York State's health care delivery system and its workforce. The critical need for workers led to the creation of the HealthCARES Consortium. With the support of a United States Department of Labor Strengthening Community Colleges Grant, Onondaga Community College (OCC) became the leader of a team of 11 community colleges, collaborating on a statewide goal of increasing the healthcare workforce by 20% in 5 years.

Participating institutions are working on a variety of projects aimed at increasing enrollment and completion within their healthcare and social assistance pathways. One way in which institutions are working toward this objective is to align noncredit and credit programs. The goal is to create seamless pathways for student who enroll in noncredit or workforce programs to have credentials earned also count toward credits needed in degree programs, presenting students with the opportunity to achieve a higher level of success while also helping satisfy demands in the workforce.

Multiple project-based workgroups have met regularly via Zoom for more than a year, working on ways to get more students in health-related programs and ultimately into the workforce. On May 30, the HealthCARES Consortium met in person for the first time for a day-long workshop on the OCC campus. "It was exciting to come together and feel the energy of what we were working on," said Marianne Niese, Ph.D. She is the Project Director for the HealthCARES Consortium and OCC's Assistant Dean for the School of Health, Wellness, and Human Services.

Each community college's plan includes an equity component which increases the number of low-income students earning industry-recognized credentials, leading to employment in targeted jobs.

"We are building sustainable pathways which will help students and the healthcare workforce in future years, long after this grant has expired," said Neise.

The HealthCARES Consortium includes the following institutions:

• Onondaga Community College
• SUNY Broome Community College
• Cayuga Community College
• SUNY Corning Community College
• Genesee Community College
• Herkimer Community College
• Jamestown Community College
• Jefferson Community College
• North Country Community College
• Schenectady Community College
• Tompkins Cortland Community College

The Education Strategy Group is helping coordinate and create a roadmap for success for the colleges participating in the HealthCARES Consortium. "The institutions walked away from our workshop with a concrete set of strategies and action steps to better align non-credit and credit programs on their campuses," said Kanler Cumbass, an Associate with the Education Strategy Group. "Their dedication coupled with actionable strategies developed at the workshop indicates progress that is both promising and inspiring. We look forward to seeing the impact this work has on learners and the institutions."