The Portage Economic Development Corporation (EDC) held its annual Healthcare 360 program at Ivy Tech Community College’s Valparaiso Campus on Wednesday, April 24.
Students across Northwest Indiana were introduced to different aspects of the healthcare field. Jessica Underwood, director of admissions at Ivy Tech Community College, played a big role in orchestrating this event. She describes how it has become a popular tradition to have each year for these up-and-coming students.
“This event is about merging the educational aspect of healthcare,” Underwood said. “We’ve got our community partners here at Northwest Health and Community Healthcare here. It brings students together to get a chance to see a 360 view of what their path would be going into healthcare.”
Underwood acknowledges how these partners have played a pivotal role in making this event an annual success.
“Our partners are really great,” Underwood said. “Every single year they come together to show the students and inspire them to get into these fields. They take time out of their workday to come and engage with them, so we really appreciate their help.”
More than 100 students from three high schools attended this year’s event. The event started with Portage High School before also extending this opportunity to Chesterton High School students. Both schools returned this year, along with the program being expanded to Wheeler High School students.
Andy Maletta, executive director of Portage EDC, was pleased with another great turnout of students who came prepared to learn and participate in hands-on activities.
“Hopefully by the end of today, everyone will have some ideas in their heads of the various careers that are in the healthcare area,” Maletta said. "There are a lot of different things to do instead of just being doctors and nurses as well.
Maletta knows how imperative it is in this field to find motivated people. That’s a key reason that led to the creation of this program.
“As an organization, we help attract businesses in Portage to expand,” Maletta said. “ One of the things that we hear all the time is that we need help,” Maletta said. “My response to that was that we have high schools full of kids that we can talk to and expose them to these careers. That’s how this program came about and it’s really exciting.”
Shaun Sahlhoff, director of planning and fundraising at the Center of Workforce Innovations, shared how the demand for healthcare workers in Northwest Indiana are one of the most prominent among all professions.
“Just last year, there were more than 90,000 job postings in healthcare throughout Northwest Indiana. This year, there are 16,000 high school juniors and seniors. There are plenty of opportunities and resources to be found within healthcare right now.”
Dr. Regina Beard, President and CEO of VicTory 4 Kidz, spoke with the students in a presentation about how expansive the opportunities are in the healthcare field. She also gave out scholarships courtesy of VicTory 4 Kidz to a student from each school at the event. The students selected were MJ Mitchell of Portage High School, Hannah Krolik of Chesterton High School and Skylar Prskalo of Wheeler High School.
Following the presentation, the groups dispersed between 12 stations. Underwood described what was on the agenda for the students to get an idea of this year’s event.
"The students get to experience healthcare in so many areas,” Underwood said. “We have nursing paramedic science and medical assisting. Our community partners brought in equipment for respiratory therapy, lab imaging, physical therapy, and other healthcare careers. We also included the Center for Workforce Innovations and they’re able to access a lot of networking opportunities at this event as well. The growth of the event has been awesome and I’m really proud of our communities for always coming together.”
Aco Sikoski, Chancellor at Ivy Tech Community College, was also in attendance at the event. He also shared his gratitude for the partners who helped make this year’s experience another incredible one for the students. As the event has grown each time, he’s looking forward to how they will continue to make leaps in preparation for next year.
All of the students were also provided with Jimmy John's box lunches at the event.
For more information on the Portage EDC or Ivy Tech Community College, you can visit their websites.
