Chester County Health Care Partnership

The Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) received funding from the Chester County Workforce Investment Board through the Pennsylvania Industry Partnership Project, part of the State of Pennsylvania's effort to proactively address critical workforce shortages in key occupations within the state's target industry sectors, and the State Activities Training Fund to implement and provide Industry Partnership Activities within the Health Care Industry.

The funding received by CCEDC will continue the efforts of the Chester County Health Care Task Force. The Chester County Health Care Task Force was originally formed in 1998 at the Chester County Work Force Summit to address workforce development needs within the local health care delivery system. The Task Force has now become the Chester County Health Care Partnership and recently elected Kristen Perrone, Director of Nursing at Kendal Crosslands Communities in Kennett Square, as its chairperson.

Since the kick-off meeting of the new partnership on December 19, 2007, the group has grown to include more than 30 organizations, including hospitals, continuing care facilities, acute rehabilitation facilities, educational institutions, and county development offices. Its mission is to facilitate networking and sharing of information with local businesses, health care organizations and educational facilities. This partnership will aid in collaboration for funding to develop more efficient and cost effective work place training and recruitment to benefit the health care industry.

An integral part of this mission is outreach to recruit and retain health care workers. This outreach includes, but is not limited to:

- Presentations about nursing and allied health careers at Chester County high schools and other organizations upon request.

- Health Care Career Showcases held each spring at area health care facilities and educational settings to provide students with a close look at how the health care organizations and their employees operate.

- Health Care Career Awareness Day held each November, along with the PA CareerLink, Chester County Department of Community Development, the Chester County Economic Development Council, the Chester County Intermediate Unit, and the Chester County Workforce Investment Board, to promote health care career opportunities.

For more information about the Chester County Health Care Partnership, visit its website at www.chestercountyhealthcare.org.