The Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s acute care teaching hospital, Lakeside Medical Center, is partnering with Palm Beach State College to support healthcare workforce needs and provide continuing education to hospital staff in the underserved Glades area. The hospital, which this year was named the most racially inclusive hospital in the country, sees this collaboration as a way to open the door for local students to receive training and employment in the healthcare field.
“Lakeside Medical Center, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s rural teaching hospital, is proud of this innovative partnership with the Palm Beach State College Belle Glade campus,” said Janet Moreland, the hospital’s associate vice president. “We look forward to showing students the hospital’s many rewarding career opportunities, so they’ll consider joining our healthcare team to serve the Glades communities following graduation. This win-win collaboration also affords our hospital staff opportunities to advance their skills through continuing education courses at the college.”
Dr. LaTanya McNeal, executive dean of the PBSC Belle Glade campus, believes this strategic partnership will greatly benefit both organizations. “Our students will now get the opportunity to learn about the many great career opportunities at Lakeside through a tour of the hospital and their ambassador program,” McNeal said. “The partnership will also bring hospital staff to the Belle Glade campus as we jointly plan a series of lunch-and-learn workshops on health-related topics, develop career seminars and panels on health-related fields for students.”
The partnership will increase students’ exposure to healthcare through onsite internships in areas like nursing, pharmacy, radiology, phlebotomy, respiratory, information technology and business services. In turn, the collaboration will also create a pipeline for PBSC graduates to fill hospital vacancies. “Recruiting medical professionals who provide direct patient care is an ongoing challenge in healthcare,” Health Care District CEO Darcy J. Davis said. “To help address this challenge locally, the Health Care District is pleased to collaborate with Palm Beach State College’s Belle Glade campus to create an academic pathway for students that leads to a rewarding healthcare profession.”
