MWCC's Weekly e-newsletter

Fri., Oct. 17, 2003

MOUNT WACHUSETT COMMUNITY COLLEGE RECEIVES $750K GRANT TO ADDRESS HEALTHCARE SHORTAGE

By LeaAnn Erickson

Mount Wachusett Community College has received over $750,000 in Health and Human Services (HHS) grant funds to work with local partners to address the current healthcare shortage. Under the grant, Heywood Hospital in Gardner, Athol Memorial Hospital and the Leo P. LaChance Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing will collaborate with the college to create educational and career pathways to meet the increasing demand for healthcare workers.

“ We have been working with our regional healthcare providers for years on this issue to address the nursing shortage,” said MWCC president Daniel M Asquino. “This grant allows us to expand our efforts to educate and train a variety of healthcare providers. The need for these professionals is acute and we have a responsibility to address this critical community need.”

Athol Memorial Hospital President CEO/CNO Donna Ditch said she sees the effort as the opportunity to build on established partnerships. ‘We are currently sponsoring two students in the Mount’s practical nursing program in Orange with commitments to hire them as well as a third student,” she said. “We see this as an opportunity to start students in a LPN program and encourage them to continue to get their RN. It’s a great way to do business.”

The college also has a history developing relationships with local healthcare partners. In response to the nursing shortage at acute and long-term facilities, Mount Wachusett Community College, Heywood Hospital and the LaChance Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, announced the creation of the Pathway to Nursing Program in September 2000.

The program was designed to increase the pool of nursing applicants, retain current healthcare employees and improve the quality of care through employee education.

“This is tremendous news for all the residents of North Central Massachusetts,” said Heywood Hospital President and CEP Daniel P. Moen. “MWCC has shown real leadership in addressing the region’s need for additional nurses, radiologic technologists and other healthcare providers. This pathway will open doors for many to wonderful careers.”

“ This grant will allow us to offer educational opportunities to our healthcare employees,” said LaChance Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Administrator Dennis Lopata. “LaCHance is proud to be a progressive corporate citizen committed to the professional and personal development of it most valuable resource: their employees.

”According to the latest projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor, more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2010. The U.S. Department of Labor projects a 21% increase in the need for nurses nationwide from 1998 to 2008, compared with a 14% increase for all other occupations.

The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics identifies healthcare as one of the fastest growing job markets. Among the occupations expected to expand the fastest between 1998 and 2006 are home health aides and medical assistants both with 58% growth and physician assistants with 48% growth. The increasing demand for trained workers has created an unprecedented labor shortage in the healthcare industry that is compounded by increased demand as the baby boom generation nears retirement.

The Healthcare Pathway Program proposes to enhance the nursing workforce by initiating and maintaining a career ladder beginning at Certified Nurse Assistant/Home Health Aide level and leading, ultimately, to a masters’ degree in nursing. Not only will the program address the nursing shortage, but it will educate individuals on the other careers in allied health as well.

The program provides opportunity for entry into the pathway for diverse populations at all levels of training. Recruitment specifically targets the minority/disadvantaged residents of the north Worcester County region of Massachusetts, and encourages middle and high school students to consider nursing as a career option. Subsequently, a total of 150 students will be enrolled over the three-year period of the grant, increasing the pool of qualified candidates for vacancies by more than 200 percent. A minimum of 70 percent of the enrollees will be from minority/disadvantaged backgrounds.

Upcoming Campus Events:

• Paintings, drawings and writings of MWCC alumnus Russell Hannula of Hubbardston is currently on display in the East Wing Gallery. A reception to meet the artist will be held, Sat., Oct 18 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Hannula, who has a life-long interest in art has created, “a total universe of characters and creatures” through works that are very detailed. Hannula graduated from MWCC in spring, 2003 after graduating from Quabbin Regional High School. Both the artist’s reception and the exhibit are free and open to the public.
  

• As part of the Works in Clay exhibit series, the work of Joan Sinatra Hathaway is currently on display in the East Wing Gallery. Hathaway is an accomplished potter who works in both stoneware and porcelain clay bodies and fires work in a gas kiln at high temperatures. She has a broad palette of glazes that she developed after many glaze tests and varying formulas. Hathaway was recently awarded a grant to investigate copper red high-fire glazes. The crimson interior of one of the small bowls is an exquisite example of a copper red glaze. Her work is created using the potter’s wheel, rolling slabs out (to create platters, plates, and saucers,) or altering a combination of these forms - as seen in the tray with two mugs. She presently teaches art courses at Cushing Academy and also owns and operates her own pottery studio, Sunburst Pottery, in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. The exhibit is free and open to the public through Sat., Nov. 8.
  

• The MWCC Student Government Association and the Library will host an, “Open Mic Night,” Thurs., Oct. 23, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Poetry, vocal performances, instrumental performances and short readings are all welcome. Performances should be limited to five minutes. For more info, call (978) 630-9133.
  

• Due to popular demand, Theatre at the Mount has scheduled an additional performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for Sat., Dec. 13 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are expected to sell out by Thanksgiving. This wildly inventive musical is the biblical story of Joseph, his tribulations and his triumphant adventures with his brothers, his multi-colored coat and the great Pharaoh of Egypt. Other scheduled performances of Joseph are December 5, 6, 12 and 13 at 8:00pm and December 7 and 14 at 2:00pm Tickets are $15.00 for evenings and $12.00 for matinees, with group rates available on request. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Theatre at the Mount box office at 978 632-2403 or may be purchased online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu
  

• Tickets are now on ale for North Shore Comedy Night, Sat., Nov. 22, to benefit the MWCC United Way campaign. Three nationally known comedians will perform at the event beginning at 7:00 p.m. Rob Steen began as a street perfomer at the age of 12 in Boston and now delivers over 350 show per year. He is a frequent guest on the Late Show with David Letterman. Tom Hayes was an executive in a multi-national manufacturing and marketing organization for over 20 years before turning to a life of comedy. The Boston Globe called comedian Larry Miles, “an excellent Boston-based comedian.” Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Call the box office at (978) 632-2403. For more info, call (978) 630-9387.
  

• As part of MWCC’s Decade of Civic Engagement, Theatre at the Mount, in collaboration with the Molly Bish Foundation, will provide complimentary Child Identification Kits to parents, Sat., Nov. 1 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the theatre lobby. These kits are used to keep a child’s current photograph, fingerprints and identifying data together in a readily accessible location. Concurrent with the Child ID Program will be a performance of the Children’s Musical, The Fabulous Fable Factory. For additional information concerning the Child Identification Program, contact Emily Ball at (978) 632-6600 ext. 564. The Free Child ID Kits are available to all parents, with or without the purchase of theatre tickets.
  

• The Financial Aid office in conjunction with the Student Life office are now collecting books for a Used Book Sale Fundraiser to be held October 23 - 25. Proceeds will benefit the Emergency Student Fund and the MWCC Library. In addition to a wide selection of hardcover books and paperbacks, CDs and records from MWCC’s former student radio station will be on sale. Hardcover books are only $1 and paperbacks are 50 cents! The College is still taking donations for the sale. For more information, all (978) 630-9169 for more information.
  

• The college will host a Transfer Fair, Fri., Oct. 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for MWCC students, parents, faculty and staff. Representatives from over 35 colleges and universities will be present to answer questions about their institutions. It is never too early to begin the transfer process. Even if you are not sure if you will ever want to transfer, come and learn about four-year colleges. Admission to the fair is free of charge. For more information call (978) 630-9321.
  

• Learn about the Mount’s over 40 degree and certificate programs and meet with admissions, financial and career service counselors at the Discover MWCC Expo, Tue., Oct. 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Attendees will also learn how to transfer to four-year colleges and universities and to to save money through joint admissions and the Tuition Advantage program. For more information info on this free event, call (978 630-9110.
  

• Pulitzer Prize winner Lucinda Franks will be the keynote speaker at a LIFE program-sponsored Wachusett Writer's Conference Sat., Nov. 1, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Colonial Hotel, 425 Betty Spring Road, Gardner. Franks received the Pulitzer Prize for national investigative journalism while writing for United Press International. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Franks at a pre-conference reception Fri., Oct. 31 at 7:00 p.m. In addition, participants will be able to read from original writing. Cost: $10. Saturday workshops include: Murder She Writes: Tips for Mystery Writers, Hallie Ephron; Sensory Imagery in poetry, John Hodgen; What Magazines Want, Barbara Roy; and How to Get Your Work Read, Marcia Gagliardi. Afternoon workshops include: Misdirection or Red Herrings in Mystery Writing, Hallie Ephron; Lost & Found: a Method to Delve into the Self, John Hodgen; Fact-finding for non-fictions works, researching; Barbara Roy; Marketing, Who Knows About You? Marcia Gagliardi, publisher. Attendees are asked to choose one workshop from each the morning and afternoon sessions. The conference cost is $75 and includes workshops. Brochures detailing the workshops are available by contacting Lorraine Wickman via e-mail at lwickman@mwcc.mass.edu or by phone at (978) 630-9176. In addition, the conference brochure can be viewed on-line at http://life.mwcc.edu Special room rates for conference attendees include a dinner Friday at 5:00 p.m. and breakfast on Saturday. Reservations may be made by calling the Colonial Hotel (888) 214-4991. Mention you are attending the LIFE Wachusett Writer’s Conference. (Double: $99, Single: $85)
  

• To celebrate the 40th anniversary of MWCC, MWCC Foundation, Inc. produced Mountopoly, its own version of the popular board game featuring advertising by local businesses and friends. Order today. Games are only $25 each. For further information, stop by the foundation office (room 118) or contact Diane Hamilton at (978) 630-9387 or email dhamilton@mwcc.mass.edu. Payment can be made by cash, check, or credit card (MasterCard, Visa, or Discover). Make checks payable to: MWCC Foundation, Inc.

Lea Ann Erickson
Director of Community Relations
Mount Wachusett Community College
Phone: (978) 630-9322
Fax: (978) 630-9561
cell: (508) 517-5202
l_erickson@mwcc.mass.edu

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