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The Baton Rouge Health District has secured a $1 million grant from the Louisiana Department of Health’s H.E.R.O. Fund, matched by $1 million from local partners, to expand its BRHireD workforce initiative.
The $2 million investment, announced on Thursday, supports a regional coalition of 14 organizations working to address health care staffing shortages in the Capital Region.
The BRHireD project will build on an ongoing employer-driven health workforce coalition developed by the Health District, as well as ongoing shared workforce recruitment efforts between area health institutions.
“This investment is about more than job training; it is about building a stronger, healthier Baton Rouge through collaboration and synergy,” says Steven Ceulemans, president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Health District. “We are working as a regional coalition of 14 H.E.R.O. partners to take action on one of the most prominent challenges faced by our area hospitals: the need for human capital.”
Over the next two years, BRHireD will recruit, train and place 100 nursing support professionals into jobs at Baton Rouge’s leading hospitals. The program will offer free education and training, support services for student success, stipends and incentives, and committed employer partners at five regional health systems including Baton Rouge General, Our Lady of the Lake, Ochsner Health, Woman’s Hospital and Mary Bird Perkins.
The funding partners for the project include Louisiana Blue Foundation, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Huey and Angelina Wilson Foundation, Capital Area United Way, and the city of Baton Rouge. There were also matching contributions and support from the Baton Rouge Health District and its hospital members.
