Shelly Weight, Miles Community College Academic Affairs Dean, recently presented at the 32nd Annual Rural Health Conference held in Miami Beach, Florida. The conference was held May 5-8 and sponsored by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). Ms. Weight presented on "The Role of Community Colleges in the Rural Health Workforce" with representatives from the Office of Rural Health Policy and the Rural Policy Research Institute. Approximately 60 participants attended the session consisting of rural health administrators, hospital staff, government agencies and education providers.

The presentation included information on how community colleges help regional economies meet health workforce demands and connect students to advanced level training. The role of community colleges in rural health workforce training and recruitment and community development was explored and innovative examples of health workforce training were presented. Ms. Weight presented about the Miles Community College Registered Nursing program and its successful distance education components, the College partnership with Montana College of Technology-Butte Rad Tech program, online Certified Nursing Assistant program classes, and the partnerships with local and service area hospitals to provide health care program clinical experiences. "Many people commented on how visionary this all was in eastern Montana and that they were trying to implement similar programs in their state," commented Shelly. "Many were impressed with our partnerships with the hospitals and partnership with the Montana Health Network to help provide advanced educational opportunities for our faculty."

For further information regarding the Miles Community College healthcare occupations programs, please call 874-6192.