SEIU healthcare workers part of $4.6 million green jobs training grant
National Green Environmental Service Worker Project will enhance hospital worker skills and protect the environment
The Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP) was awarded a $4.6 million grant that will include funding for creation of a program in King County to train hospital Environmental Service Workers in green energy, waste monitoring, and green cleaning practices that will provide career opportunities for entry level workers. The Energy Training Partnership Grant is awarded through the U.S. Department of Labor, and is part of the $100 million in green jobs training grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
The project is a labor-management partnership that includes H-CAP, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, Northwest Hospital & Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center, North Seattle Community College, and the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County. It will affect over 400 unionized healthcare workers in King County and include better training for new employees and additional training for current workers in energy efficiency and improved cleaning of hospitals. Implementation is expected to begin within three months and will build a national training standard for energy efficiency, waste reduction, and environmental practices in the healthcare industry.
“Entry-level cleaning jobs provide the first line of defense in our hospitals,” said Diane Sosne, RN and president of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. “These healthcare workers will now have better training that will protect our environment, while also saving our hospitals money and moving employees up the career ladder to better paying jobs.”
“Creating a ‘greener’ campus has been a priority for us for many years, and has generated a wide variety of environmental initiatives across the organization, from environmental services to food and nutrition and even marketing,” said Robert Steigmeyer, Northwest Hospital’s senior vice president of operations and finance. “This grant provides a great opportunity to help our staff become even more knowledgeable about eco-friendly products and practices, and how we can use them to continue to ensure that Northwest Hospital is a good environmental citizen.“
“We are pleased to have this level of support and collaboration from King County to promote green jobs at Swedish. It will help us promote environmentally sound practices and provide new training and skills to our workforce,” said Joanne Suffis, Swedish Vice President of Human Resources.
“We are tremendously excited to assume a leadership role in the development of a common green technology training curriculum to be delivered to hospital environmental service workers throughout the country,” said Steve Miller, Executive Dean at North Seattle Community College. “Community and Technical colleges around America, including the other members of our own Seattle Community College District, will be able to utilize this training, confident that it has been developed through a collaborative process.”
The H-CAP Labor-Management partnership was one of only 25 national grant recipients. The Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP) is a national coalition of SEIU unions and employers that creates career ladders for healthcare workers through training and education opportunities. SEIU Healthcare 1199NW President Diane Sosne, RN is currently Labor Chair of the Board. The local program will be administered by the SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training Fund, a collectively-bargained entity.
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About SEIU Healthcare 1199NW: SEIU Healthcare 1199NW represents 22,000 nurses, healthcare employees, and mental health workers in hospitals, agencies, and clinics statewide. SEIU Healthcare is the nation’s largest and fastest-growing healthcare union, with more than 1 million healthcare workers united for quality patient care and good careers.
About Northwest Hospital & Medical Center: Founded in 1960, Northwest Hospital & Medical Center is a full-service, non-profit hospital located minutes north of downtown Seattle. With 281 licensed beds, more than 1,600 employees and all private rooms, it offers some of the most innovative, technologically advanced medical care available. Major clinical programs and services include: emergency services; critical care; cardiac care; neurosciences; stroke center; cancer care; childbirth services; sleep center, bariatric surgery; sports medicine; medical rehabilitation; geropsychiatric center; Gamma Knife® Center; diagnostic imaging; laboratory services; and education and wellness programs, among others. For more information about Northwest Hospital and its programs and services, call (206) 364-0500 or (206) 633-4636 for the Physician Referral Line, or visit www.nwhospital.org.
About Swedish: Swedish is the largest, most comprehensive non-profit health provider in the Greater Seattle area. It is comprised of three hospital campuses – First Hill, Cherry Hill and Ballard – a freestanding emergency department and ambulatory care center in Issaquah, Swedish Visiting Nurse Services, and the Swedish Physician Division – a network of more than 40 primary-care and specialty clinics located throughout the Puget Sound area. This fall, Swedish broke ground on a new medical office building and hospital in the Issaquah Highlands, as well as a medical office building and ambulatory center in Ballard. In addition to general medical and surgical care, Swedish is known as a regional referral center, providing specialized treatment in areas such as cardiovascular care, cancer care, neuroscience, orthopedics, high-risk obstetrics, pediatric specialties, organ transplantation and clinical research. For more information, visit www.swedish.org
About North Seattle Community College: A two-year public college, North Seattle Community College is the starting point for many students who transfer to top universities across the country. Known nationally for the quality of its instruction, including a strong e-learning program, NSCC also provides outstanding professional and technical career training in emerging fields such as nanotechnology, anesthesia technology and green real estate. Established in 1970, NSCC is a member of the Seattle Community College District. Since its opening, the college has helped more than 300,000 students pursue their educational goals.