Collaborating to Build Health Care Talent

Stark State College will receive $2 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to prepare students for careers in high-growth, high-demand health occupations in Stark and five surrounding counties. This employment-focused competitive grant brings together 21 business and community partners who will collaborate with Stark State on the education and training project.

Stark State’s Expanding Capacity in Health Occupations (ECHO) project is focused on meeting current and projected health care worker shortages in the region. Congressman Ralph Regula (R-OH) and his staff were instrumental in working with Stark State to secure the grant for the project.

“Through collaboration with our partners, ECHO’s goal is to expand capacity over three years by providing educational, training and support services to approximately 400 additional health students, including dislocated workers, incumbent workers who need new skills and new entrants to the workforce,” said Stark State President John O’Donnell.

Stark State’s ECHO partnership team consists of: Stark, Tuscarawas, Summit and Medina County Workforce Initiative Associations (WIAs), Stark Development Board, Medical Mutual, Health Foundation of Greater Massillon, Greater Alliance Foundation, Alliance Community Hospital, Affinity Medical Center, Aultman Hospital, Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Akron, Mercy Medical Center, Stark County College Tech Prep Consortium, Alliance City Schools Robert White LPN Program, Canton City Schools Adult Career & Technical Education, Ashland University, Wayne College, Buckeye Career Center, Wayne County Career Center and the University of Akron’s Medina County University Center.

This grant adds to a growing list of collaborative efforts being supported by federal and state governments to boost our region's ability to meet the growing demand for health care workers. Read about a new effort led by Cuyahoga Community College and another program led by the BioScience Consortium of Northeast Ohio.