Career Education Cooperative (CEC) Healthcare Partners continue conversations with State and Federal Agencies to advocate for 17 year old Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) Youth Apprentices to independently operate a patient lift.

At a time when the healthcare workforce is experiencing a crisis level of shortage, the Career Education Cooperative is providing the opportunity for local students from Kickapoo, Hillsboro, Riverdale, Ithaca, Richland Center, and Eagle Schools to start on a healthcare career path. Through the CEC program, 16 and 17 year old students are taking college-level nursing courses, completing their CNA, and working as a paid Youth Apprenticeship (for at least 450 hours) with local healthcare partners.

However well-trained and mature these students are as they enter the workforce to help address this healthcare workforce crisis, they are blocked from doing their complete job because of their age. A Department of Labor Ruling states students under 18 cannot independently operate a patient lift. The CEC healthcare providers are speaking up on how this ruling interferes with patient care, limits the hours high school seniors can work, and creates a barrier for getting seniors in High School started on a healthcare career track. CEC partners agree that training and employing high school students in the nursing field is a viable path in addressing the healthcare worker shortage crisis. CEC partners also agree that it will be best for health care providers, young nurses, and patients if the DOL ruling is changed.

On September 7, 2017, at Pine Valley Community Village, Joe Knilians, Director of WI Business Administration, brought Leslie Davies, U.S. Small Business Administration. They met with the following CEC healthcare partners to understand the issue better and help with the advocacy efforts to change the DOL ruling.

• Cory Nugent, Dycora, Nursing Home Administrator
• Sarah Buroker, Dycora, Director of Nursing
• Jessy John, Richland Renewable Energy Chemist and Career Education Cooperative Board Member
• William Bartlet, Schmitt Woodland Hills, Development Director
• Morgan Goodyear, CEC Student, Schmitt Woodland Hills, graduate of Richland Center High School
• Echo Bristol, Pine Valley Community Village, Nurse Manager
• Becky Dahl, Career Education Cooperative Co- President

Morgan Goodyear was a 2016-2017 Youth Apprenticeship student in the CEC program. She continues to work at Schmitt Woodland Hills while continuing her education at Southwest Technical College.

At the September 7th meeting, Echo Bristol demonstrated a patient lift to help Leslie Davies better understand the issue. Sarah Buroker shared with Leslie Davies, “as a Director of Nursing it is a noted value when nurses are able to actually work as a CNA prior to getting their nursing license.” The CEC provides this training and employment opportunity enhancing the experience of new nurses.

As construction progresses on the new, expanded Pine Valley facility, the Pine Valley Board of Trustees have discussed changing the name of the facility to match the additional services that will be available. The County Board approved the name change at their meeting on April 19, 2016.

The official statement from the Board of Trustees is as follows: “The Pine Valley Board of Trustees is pleased to announce a name change effective immediately.  The skilled nursing center formerly known as Pine Valley Community Village will now be known as Pine Valley Community Village:  Skilled Nursing Center, Assisted Living Center and Rehabilitation Center. The name change better describes the services and new levels of care that will be offered in the newly constructed facilities.”

The plans for additions and renovations were approved in May of 2015 by the Richland County Board allowing construction to begin later that summer. The former Pine Valley facility was originally built in 1960 and showed significant signs of age.  The new facility will improve efficiency and expand operations while repurposing portions of the existing building for support spaces, community use and therapy. Eighty skilled nursing beds will be available and the continuum of care will expand by offering 16 assisted living beds. All residents will have private rooms and bathrooms in a residential, neighborhood style design. Rehabilitation services will be offered in a new state-of-the-art physical therapy gym.  These facility upgrades will allow Pine Valley Community Village to provide high quality and cost-effective care to county residents for many years to come.