LYNN, MA – 1199SEIU members and leaders gathered with Governor Patrick and state officials at Lynn Community Health Center recently to announce the first grants of the Health Care Workforce Transformation Fund, a statewide effort to increase quality and reduce costs in healthcare.

A partnership between Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC), Union Hospital, and 1199SEIU is one of 51 grant collaborations that will develop projects to help train staff. 1199SEIU members at LCHC and will receive a $37,400 grant which will be applied to improving care and increasing training through a joint labor-management program at the facility. The project aims to help front line staff best meet the needs of behavioral health patients with complex needs.

Photo: Governor Patrick with LCHC Employee Denise Clark; LCHC Executive Director Lori Berry; LCHC Employees Emi Montoya and Lilia Bermudez; Rep. Robert Fennell; and 1199SEIU Executive Vice President Veronica Turner

“This will definitely help because our jobs are changing,” 1199SEIU member Emi Montoya was quoted as saying in this Lynn Daily Item story.

Lynn Community Health Center executives and the Governor praised 1199SEIU for its innovative approach to labor-management training partnerships.

"These grants are a key step towards ensuring the incumbent healthcare workforce is prepared to deliver the highest level of care within the changing healthcare environment,” said Veronica Turner, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU. “The healthcare workers of 1199SEIU applaud all of the key stakeholders for recognizing the need to invest in workforce training and education as part of our mutual efforts to continuously improve healthcare quality while reducing medical costs. Through programs like these, 1199SEIU caregivers have been and will continue to be pioneers in the pursuit of healthcare workforce training and innovation."

LCHC employee Sandra Lopez with Governor PatrickCheck out news coverage of the announcement at these links:

Lynn Daily Item 04/04/14: Patrick vows health care training

Mass.gov 04/04/14: Governor Patrick awards nearly $2 million to train health care workers, reduce costs

Boston Globe 04/04/14: Massachusetts awards health care training grants