About Us
 | HealthForce Minnesota project & partner map FY06–FY10 |
What is HealthForce Minnesota?
This virtual collaborative network is one of four Centers of Excellence in Minnesota funded by a $10 million state appropriation initiated by Governor Tim Pawlenty, approved by the legislature, and launched by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Each center is focused on industry sectors important to the state’s economy. HealthForce Minnesota is the only center focused on healthcare innovation and is housed at Winona State University, its fiscal agent.
Why does HealthForce Minnesota exist?
HealthForce Minnesota is a collaborative partnership of education, industry and community that was created to increase the number and expand the diversity of healthcare workers; to integrate health science education practice and research; and to build capacity for education and industry to collaborate to enhance patient care.
Who is involved?
HealthForce Minnesota's core partners and members located acrosse the state are involved in its programs and leadership teams.
What is the mission?
HealthForce Minnesota is committed to integrating the expertise and resources of education, healthcare providers and community members.
- The Minnesota healthcare industry will have a well-trained, flexible and diverse workforce.
- Health science education and healthcare delivery will be transformed.
- Minnesota will be a global leader in healthcare education, practice, research and innovation.
Goals:
- Create a collaborative model of engagement for health sciences education and practice.
- Enhance economic development through increased quality and sustainability of healthcare education, practice and innovation.
- Position Minnesota as a leader in healthcare education, practice and innovation.
Objectives:
- Expand Diversity in Healthcare through collaborative partnerships
- Recruit and retain an expanded and more diverse student population.
- Enhance and Expand Healthcare Degree Programs
- Increase the number of well-prepared graduates and enhance the current workforce.
- Prepare Today’s Workers for Tomorrow’s Challenges
- Develop practitioners who will deliver quality, coordinated and competent care and define ways to assess the development of these qualities.
- Launch Applied Healthcare Research
- Assess, evaluate and document continuously adaptive models of education and training shaped by emerging healthcare needs and technological advances.
Key Strategies:
- Build capacity through key projects that expand credit-based degree programs, develop new outreach strategies to attract healthcare workers, develop new approaches to professional development, expand diversity of healthcare workers and expand applied research so as to support evidence-based practice.
- Serve as catalyst for discussions on healthcare policy, i.e. community strategic discussions
- Develop a collaboration/engagement model that allows for true integration of health science education and healthcare practice.
- Develop a sustainability plan to ensure long-term viability of the Center’s work.
- Develop an assessment strategy that produces outcomes to fulfill the legislative mandates and allows for continuous quality improvement.
Impact:
- Advanced and retained incumbent workers
- Critical Care Registered Nurse certification preparation course
- Innovative training and leadership development initiatives to advance workers up the career ladder
- Provided technical assistance for healthcare delivery
- A quality approach to healthcare management promotes cost containment and improves ROI
- New eLearning technologies enhancing delivery models
- Developed new approaches to the integration of research, education and practice through true collaboration
- Two-year, four-year, and K-12 institutions working with healthcare practitioners
- Launching of three new learning enterprises for healthcare partners including The Training Collaborative (gaming technology), Healthcare Quality Collaborative (continuous quality improvement), and Healthcare Leadership Cooperative (leadership development)
- 12 new for credit courses and 12 new customized training courses
- Increased diversity in the healthcare workforce
- Boys and Girls Club Outreach
- provided health careers awareness program to young diverse students
- PSEO project
- recruited diverse high school students enrolled in the Post Secondary Enrollment Option into an accelerated pilot post secondary nursing program
- Pre-CNA Healthcare Academy
- preparatory community-based training offered to low-wage incumbent workers and persons from disadvantaged backgrounds wanting to enter higher-skilled healthcare careers
- Boys and Girls Club Outreach
- Better prepared health care students
- Expanded Certified Nursing Assistant offerings
- Created more opportunities along the nursing pathway
- Enhanced utilization of technology to improve learning outcomes
- Launching Simulation Alliance to coordinate simulation activities across the state
- New gaming technology to better serve long term care facilities
- New clinical lab science program
- New doctoral program in nursing
For more information regarding HealthForce Minnesota, contact Jane Foote, Executive Director at JFoote@winona.edu or (507) 285-7339.