Officials with HealthForce Kentucky, a multi-county health care careers training initiative, unveiled their mobile medical facility Thursday morning at the Owensboro Convention Center.
“HealthForce One” will be a place where students training for careers in medicine can get hands-on experience using advanced technology, in a setting that resembles a hospital or medical office.
The goal of HealthForce Kentucky is to train students in health professions such as nursing, paramedic training and radiology. The organization is a partnership among multiple regional colleges and universities, school districts across 16 counties in western Kentucky, and Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. The organization was funded through $38 million in state dollars.
Scott Williams, president of Owensboro Community & Technical College and chairman of the HealthForce Kentucky board, said the mobile classroom will be available to travel to middle schools, high schools, colleges, workforce training centers and businesses across the 16 counties involved in the organization.
The mobile unit “will be something we can take to middle schools and high schools and students can walk through and do some hands-on career explorations,” Williams said.
At a career center, the mobile unit could be used to introduce health careers to people looking for a job, or for better jobs, Williams said.
The mobile unit will introduce students to health careers by showing them what healthcare professionals such as nurses and paramedics do, in a realistic setting, Williams said.
“To me, that’s the exciting part,” Williams said. “Especially in today’s times, (students) need to get their hands on it and be engaged.”
With the mobile unit, “they can actually experience what a surgical tech does, and what a radiologist or a paramedic does,” Williams said.
“We can provide an exceptional experience for kids,” Williams said.
“HealthForce One” was built by BrewCo Health, of Central City. The unit was built to also be used as a functioning medical treatment facility in disasters, and can be used to provide first aid at events, health screenings and vaccinations, according to an Owensboro Health press release.
“We asked that it be built to meet medical grade,” Williams said.
Requests have already been received for the mobile unit to visit schools involved in the HealthForce Kentucky initiative, Williams said. Plans exist to build a second mobile facility in the future.
“We are already seeing a lot of interest,” Williams said.
