“We are aggressively working to secure a bigger share of federal dollars for Indiana, and this award to Ivy Tech is a significant win for Hoosier workers," said Daniels. “This grant will bolster Ivy Tech – and Indiana’s capacity to train the qualified and needed health care professionals we need in every corner of the state.”

Nickson Spicer will be working closely with the Evansville campus to implement their portion of the grant.  This includes increasing the capacity to assist in the shortage of medical professionals in Southwest Indiana.  The grant will allow Ivy Tech- Evansville to:

• Increase courses in the existing Certified Nursing Assistant program,
• Provide Workplace Spanish for Healthcare and Pharmacy, and
• Supplement the Paramedic to Nursing transition program. 

The Evansville campus will deliver these courses through their new eMedia Center.  Recently appointed to serve as the eMedia Center Producer responsible for the DOL grant is Joe Hostetler.  While Hostetler’s primary focus will be to assist in the development of the courses specified in the DOL grant proposal, his input will be critical in other areas of establishing the eMedia Center that will be housed on the third floor of the new building. 

In addition to fulfilling the needs identified in the grant, the eMedia Center will house course material and lectures on-line for all areas of the college.  From the Center, those courses will be transmitted through the Internet, Intranet, television and DVD. 

Nickson Spicer’s responsibilities include the continued building of community relationships, developing new health care training initiatives and coordinating a Statewide Healthcare Careers Action Team. She will be responsible for managing the fulfillment of the contract with the U.S. Department of Labor. She will manage the Ivy Tech Indiana Cares program under the direction of Dr. Rob Jeffs, Ivy Tech Community College Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development.

Indiana Cares will blanket the state with health care training in allied health and nursing, designed in response to industry research on occupational shortages and educational needs.  Six training programs will begin in year one and nine projects in year two.  The first six projects collectively will enroll 775 students, produce 660 graduates, and place at least 600 nurses and allied health professionals in jobs.  The second round of projects will enroll another 1100 students and place about 900 jobs for a total of at least 1,500 new workers.  The project will begin in January of 2006 and in year one will take place at Ivy Tech campuses in South Bend, Kokomo, Terre Haute, Indianapolis, Columbus and Evansville.

Yvette Nickson Spicer’s expertise stems from 25 years experience in health care and health education. For the past nine years she has served as the Director of Community Development and Relations at Wishard Health Services, a public teaching hospital and health facility for Marion County and Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana. She holds a Masters of Health Administration from Georgia State University Graduate School of Business and is a Certified Health Education Specialist by the National Commission for Health Education, Inc.

“We are grateful for the Governor’s leadership in the effort to increase our capacity to train workers in this important field,” Ivy Tech Executive Vice President Carol D’Amico said.  “Ivy Tech is well versed in high quality healthcare education and we are poised to lead our state into a new strategy for addressing the critical need for qualified people in these occupations. Yvette has the knowledge and expertise necessary carryout the Indiana Cares project and move not only Ivy Tech, but also the state of Indiana forward in healthcare education. ”

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s second largest public post-secondary institution with over 73,000 students enrolled this spring.  Ivy Tech has 23 campuses throughout Indiana.  It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana.  It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.