The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) has recognized Ochsner Health as a 2022 Free Enterprise Award recipient. Annually, LABI honors members who are committed to advancing business and local communities in Louisiana. Award winners were recognized during a special event at the LABI Center for Free Enterprise in Baton Rouge on Nov. 10.
Ochsner Health has received the Workforce Innovator Award from LABI in recognition of a commitment to training and employing a diverse and compassionate workforce to deliver the highest quality care to our communities. This award honors Ochsner’s excellence in workforce initiatives that aim to close the employment gap and provide opportunities to youth and underserved communities.
“We are honored to receive the Workforce Innovator Award from LABI this year,” said Pete November, CEO at Ochsner Health. “Ochsner’s commitment to workforce development and supporting the communities we serve is evident through the numerous partnerships and programs established in recent years to train the next generation of healthcare professionals. Our teams are driven to create more opportunities for education and employment throughout Louisiana and the Gulf South.”
In 2020, Ochsner Health launched the Healthy State by 2030 initiative, with workforce development and education identified as one of the major priorities. Since the launch of Healthy State, Ochsner has committed $30 million to grow the nursing and allied health pipeline, trained hundreds of medical students, launched multiple programs for high school students to explore careers in healthcare, and developed new nursing education partnerships with Delgado State College and Fletcher Technical Community College--adding to existing partnerships with Xavier University, Loyola University and Chamberlain University.
“To drive change and create a healthier Louisiana, we are committed to providing opportunities for education and career advancements in our communities,” said Missy Sparks, vice president, talent management at Ochsner Health. “We are constantly developing new programs to recruit and retain the best talent in our state to elevate Louisiana’s prosperity. We’ve invested in programs like Ochsner Scholars, Medical Assistant Now, Impact Training for EVS, security, certified nurse assistants and supply chain, Louisiana’s first LPN apprenticeship program and many others. Through these innovative programs, we aim to close the education and employment gap throughout our state.”
Ochsner Health works collaboratively with leading organizations across the state like Louisiana Workforce Commission, Board of Regents, Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS), Louisiana Department of Education, and LABI among others to develop healthcare career pathways and engage secondary students and adult learners in the vision of economic stability and growth for their families. In 2022, Ochsner partnered with LCTCS to secure $25 million in state funding to train more healthcare providers, with an initial focus in North Louisiana and the Bayou region.