In April 2010, Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT awarded $ 14.7 million dollars to Cuyahoga Community College under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Award # 90CC007901. The funding supported the collaboration of 17 innovative community colleges across Region C, forming the Midwest Community College Health Information Technology Consortium.
During the grant period ending March of 2013, Midwest HIT Consortium member colleges
trained over 4,200 students in job-specific training in six workforce role s to support electronic health records implementation.
The training was targeted to health care and IT professionals who desired to advance their skills, as well as students who were just starting out and the consortium's non-degree programs were designed to be completed in six months or less. Combining online and campus-based learning focused on industry-specific technical knowledge as well as professionalism, customer service and leadership skills that supported success in the health care environment.
Graduates from the program received non-degree certificates verifying that they completed the necessary training.
Although our grant period has concluded, the need for qualified Health IT professionals continues to grow. A recent study by
PWc indicated that top healthcare executives are concerned about finding talent to help meet their health IT workforce needs. Many of our member colleges are sustaining their workforce development activities to support Health IT adoption and implementation across the Midwest.
Follow the links below to learn more about member colleges offering these programs in your state, and how you can join the growing Health IT workforce now!
