The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center has launched a new collaboration aimed at addressing the growing workforce demands in the health and life sciences sectors within GO Virginia Region 1. The initiative brings together a variety of stakeholders, including educators, employers, economic development professionals, and community partners, to support workforce development in the region.

The kickoff meeting for this initiative took place on March 18 and included over 60 attendees and presentations from key speakers, including Dr. Bill Hazel of Claude Moore Opportunities and Dr. Caroline Sutter from George Mason University’s Center for Health Workforce. The collaboration is made possible through funding from the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center and a $25,000 grant provided by the Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia.

“We are thankful to the Wellspring Foundation for providing a $25,000 grant to support planning and initial preparation for the Southwest Virginia Regional Health Careers and Workforce Partnership,” said David Matlock, executive director of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. “Their support for the planning of the SWVA Regional Health Careers Workforce Partnership aligns with their vision to leverage collaborative partnerships to promote a healthy, thriving region while also touching on all key funding areas of interest, such as health, children & families, workforce development, education and economic development.”

For more information about the initiative and to join the partnership, please visit www.swcenter.edu/healthcare or contact Karen Brown at kbrown@swcenter.edu.