A unique United Way partnership is helping Hibbing High School Career Academy (HHSCA) rebuild its healthcare pathway.
United Way of Northeastern Minnesota (UWNEMN) presented HHSCA students and staff with a $10,000 check, secured through Greater Twin Cities United Way (GTCUW)’s Building a Movement fund.
“Typically, United Way organizations don’t grant each other funding outside their service areas, but we were very excited about the statewide scope of this funding,” said UWNEMN Resource Development and Events Director Elizabeth Kelly. “We are even more excited that we were granted funds to support the Iron Range!”
Funding secured will bolster HHSCA’s efforts to partner with area healthcare and dental providers and professionals to educate students on the skills and training required for related careers, as well as supporting staff to further develop this pathway.
“As if supporting our schools and students wasn’t meaningful enough, this specific partnership also takes an upstream approach to addressing our region’s critical need for more healthcare and dental care providers,” said UWNEMN Community Impact Director Crystal Royer, noting UWNEMN’s recent work with its NE MN Dental Task Force.
Task force members have discussed long wait times and limited availability of dental care in our region, regardless of insurance status. County leaders within the furthermost parts of UWNEMN’s service area (Iron Range, Koochiching County, and Lake of the Woods County) report many residents routinely drive 100-200 miles to see a dentist.
HHSCA Director Carrie McDonald shares UWNEMN’s long-term vision for the impact this influx of funding could make, not just for current students but Iron Range residents long into the future.
“As we work to increase interest in all of the healthcare fields at Hibbing High School, our hope is that students will give back to the community by working in our area in the healthcare field providing a solution to the significant workforce shortage that we are experiencing,” she said.
This is the second time UWNEMN has secured Building a Movement funding to benefit the Iron Range. In September, UWNEMN partnered with Rock Ridge Public Schools to secure $10,000 for its career academy.
“UWNEMN has a strong sense of collaboration and deep commitment to our local communities,” McDonald said. “It’s inspiring to know that our United Way believes in what we are doing at Hibbing High School with our Healthcare Academy.”