County Partners with Dignity Health on Incumbent Worker Training Program

The San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board has announced a partnership with Dignity Health Foundation Inland Empire to implement an Incumbent Worker Training Program at Community Hospital of San Bernardino and St. Bernardine Medical Center. One of the nation's largest health care systems and one of the county’s largest employers, Dignity Health reached out to the WDB to assist with addressing the critical training need for its specialized nurses, cardio-pulmonary, radiology, lab technicians and cardiac sonographers. For Dignity Health, the cost to train these positions put greater limitations upon department budgets and personnel and created a significant strain on the hospital. “By working with county government, we can redirect our financial and human resources to other needs that ultimately improve the patient care experience and support our community,” states Dan Murphy, vice president and chief philanthropy officer, Dignity Health Foundation – Inland Empire. “We will also be able to further build a much-needed skilled healthcare workforce.”  In the upcoming year, Dignity Health plans to train close to 100 current staff members to promote into higher skilled jobs, creating positions which will then be filled by newly-hired individuals. The contract will be funded in part by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act which allows for the WDB to partner with employers in order to train incumbent workers, wherein both partners contribute to the cost of training, ensuring a solid pipeline for promotion and new employment for the company. For more than a decade, the Inland Empire has grappled with a shortage of health care workers and a lack of primary care capacity. “We have been partnering with county health care providers and county education systems to develop ways to support growing workforce demands, improve training, achieve better employment outcomes, and create opportunities for upward income mobility,” says Tony Myrell, WDB Chair. “The incumbent worker program is an effective way to benefit both the employer and employee in a meaningful way with long-term positive impacts.” According to a recently-published Inland Empire Regional Collaborative - Health Industry Workforce Report, the Inland Empire’s rapidly growing and diverse population, the anticipated retirement of experienced health care professionals, and new demands created by health care reform, all contribute to a growing need for regional planning for the future health care workforce. “This partnership is a progressive way to create a solution,” Murphy adds. “And it puts workforce dollars where they are needed – developing jobs for the future.”  The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act tasks WDB with building linkages with employers in the region to support employer utilization of the local workforce development system and to support workforce development activities.  The WDB ensures these activities meet the needs of employers and support economic growth in the region. The Incumbent Worker Training Program, among others, is available to businesses throughout the county and further aids in the creation of high-demand new jobs and the retention of such jobs that otherwise may be eliminated.