National workforce conference held in Dallas
Stephanie Huckaby (l to r), Winnie Neal, Sally Williams, Andrea Glispie and Sheila Rawlins.
It was a meeting of great workforce minds when The National Fund for Workforce Solutions 2019 Convening was held in Dallas, June 25-27 at the Fairmont Hotel. Two North Texas hospitals were honored while our very own Sally Williams, workforce center director at the DFW Hospital Council Foundation, participated in a panel discussion.
The National Fund for Workforce Solutions is a network of more than 30 partner communities across the U.S. that invests in innovative projects to connect residents to in-demand skills including healthcare.
“It was a great event with an emphasis on national workforce development and its impact upon the economy,” Williams said. “The National Fund for Workforce Solutions has provided grant funding to the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas in support of the ‘Better Skills, Better Jobs’ project we’ve been working on over the past year.”
The “Better Skills, Better Jobs” funds have provided patient care technician mentoring and support. North Texas hospital positions promoted by the project include registered nurses, surgical technicians, respiratory therapists, pharmacy technicians and radiologic technologists.
During the conference, Methodist Health System and Parkland Health & Hospital System were recognized as CareerSTAT Frontline Healthcare Worker Champion Organizations. The national award recognizes healthcare employers for innovations in workforce development.
The workshop Williams participated in was titled “Healthcare Industry Partnership Use of Job Quality to Improve Frontline Worker Retention,” a panel discussion also including Winnie Neal of Methodist Health System; Sheila Rawlins of Parkland Health & Hospital System; and Stephanie Huckaby of UT Southwestern; with Andrea Glispie of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas serving as moderator.