HealthForce Minnesota News archives
Current archives (press releases Nov. 2007–Nov. 2008)
Lean Health brings manufacturing efficiency to health care
Fosston, Minn, December 29, 2008 - An initiative to make Minnesota hospitals more efficient is spreading across the state. It's called Lean Health, and it uses some of the same concepts employed at companies like Marvin Windows and Arctic Cat, to streamline their assembly line production. Hospitals say the assembly line efficiency model is working for healthcare.
The first Lean Health Initiative grant from the state Department of Employment and Economic Development was awarded in 2004.
See Pediatric Simulator TV feature
Rochester, Minn, October 28, 2008 - Pediatric Simulator featured on Channel 6, Rochester was one of many interactive presentations held during the HealthForce Minnesota annual meeting. Funding for the simulator was given by HealthForce Minnesota.
HealthForce Minnesota Announces Annual Meeting
Rochester, Minn, October 23, 2008 - HealthForce Minnesota will hold its annual meeting on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 to feature successful projects, announce new grant opportunities, review programs of the past year and unveil expanded initiatives for fiscal year 2009.
HealthForce Minnesota is an organization developed to integrate the expertise and resources of education, healthcare providers and community members so that Minnesota can be a global leader in healthcare education, practice, research and innovation. HealthForce Minnesota is one of four “Centers of Excellence” designated by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.
Read the full press release by downloading the PDF to the right.
HealthForce Minnesota sponsors camp at Winona State
Winona, Minn, July 28, 2008 - This week, area students went from watching re-runs of Scrubs on TV, to donning scrubs themselves at Winona State University.
The 66 students participating spent a full week at the college, staying in the dorms and getting accustomed to college life while learning different aspects of medical careers. Half of the students came from the Twin Cities area and the other half coming from southern Minnesota.
Read the full story at the Rochester Post-Bulletin's website.
Bringing in future doctors
Winona, Minn, July 21, 2008 - Five dozen high school students are in Southeastern Minnesota, scrubbing up for the week. Health Force Minnesota is putting on its first-ever "Scrub Camp" at Winona State University this week to introduce students to a possible career option.
Scrubs aren't just for doctors and nurses this week; they're being donned by high school students wanting to learn about a career in health care.
"When even a very young student puts on scrubs and stands tall and walks into the cafeteria with other students here for other type of athletic camps and says this is what I'm about," said Health Force Minnesota Director Jane Foote.
Health Force Minnesota wants to excite students into going toward a medical career. What better way than to go hands-on.
Scrubs Camp offers insight to health careers
La Crosse, Wisc, July 21, 2008 - High school students with an interest in health care are putting their dreams to the test through a program called Scrubs Camp.
Midwest students are spending the week at Winona State University, and getting a glimpse at what college life might be like.
The five-day camp gives students experience in a variety of health care activities and exposure to health-related careers. This is the first year of the program, and its aim is to recruit and retain students not only for the field of health care, but also for college.
"It's really important that we're able to do things in such a way that it's accessable and they get to meet faculty and other students, so they're really able to start dreaming the dream. That it might be possible for them and seeing themselve in that place is really important," said Jane Foote, HealthForce Minnesota executive director.
Some of the health care fields featured at the camp include public health and emergency medicine, physical fitness and laboratory sciences.
WKBT La Crosse
HealthForce Minnesota programs training minorities for medical field
Minneapolis, Minn, July 10, 2008 - Starting Monday, Native Americans in northern Minnesota’s White Earth Reservation can get a taste of what it’s like to be a health care worker.
The program, aimed at attracting minorities to the state’s health care industry, is financed by HealthForce Minnesota. That organization was created in 2005, when the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, using state money, established centers of excellence in health care, manufacturing, engineering and information security at four state universities and 18 community and technical colleges.
HealthForce Minnesota awards grants to schools and institutions for fiscal year 2009
Rochester, Minn, June 2, 2008 - HealthForce Minnesota, a Center of Excellence focused on healthcare innovation, announces its fiscal year 2009 funded projects.
HealthForce Minnesota annually provides between $500,000 and $850,000 of funding that improves healthcare practice, education and research. Grants range from $50,000 to $100,000.
Go to the FY 2009 Projects page Read the full press release by downloading the PDF to the right.
7 Rivers Region announces Scrubs Camp
Winona State University and HealthForce Minnesota are offering a summer camp for high school students to learn about the healthcare field. (July 20–25, 2008)