Alliance for Health

Health Care RSA Initiative

The RSA (Regional Skills Alliance) was initiated by a consortium of stakeholders to address the workforce development needs of health care employers.  Its membership includes five Michigan Works! Agencies serving West Central Michigan, colleges, universities, health care employers and the Alliance for Health.  The regional Health Care Employers Council was established as a part of the RSA to provide a means for health care employers to identify and communicate their workforce needs and priorities to the RSA and to the community.  The overlap where the workforce interests of the three sectors converge is depicted as follows:

                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

RSA Mission

The RSA Board of Directors oversees the activities of the RSA, with guidance from the Health Care Employers Council. Its mission states:

 

• The RSA is a broad-based collaboration among Michigan Works! Agencies, the Alliance for Health, educational institutions and health care employers working to develop and maintain a system that assures a supply of qualified employees to our heath care employers

• The RSA works to assure that the system identifies job seekers who are interested in health care occupations, offers opportunities for progressive career advancement and lateral development, is accessible to all job seekers, and successfully retains employees in the health care field

 

The RSA covers the same 12 counties as the Alliance for Health (Allegan, Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola and Ottawa), although others are welcome to be part of the initiative.

 

Reasons Why the RSA Initiative Makes Sense

• Interrelated economic patterns in much of the region
• Interrelated regional patterns of providing health care
• Commuting patterns showing that while 96% of the labor force works within the 12-county region, 21% works outside of their county of residence (Some counties have even higher out-migration rates.)
• Health care employers draw from a common pool of qualified workers and candidates to meet their needs
• Projected growing need for entry-level and skilled health care employees in many health care occupations over the next decade
• Shared roles of the 5 Michigan Works! Agencies in preparing people for jobs and careers
• Importance of adequate and flexible educational capacity of schools within the region in order to educate and train the health care workforce
• Role the Alliance for Health and its members play in addressing important health care issues