Cherokee Hospital Intern Program Gets Boost From Governor

Cherokee, Iowa (NorthwestIowaNow.com) — Cherokee Regional Medical Center is getting a boost for their Apprentice program after Governor Kim Reynolds announced the Iowa Healthcare Credentialing Grant, awarding $2.94 million total to boost local healthcare workforces across the state.

Merle Mack is Vice President of Human Resources and Compliance at Cherokee Regional and says the Registered Apprenticeship program supports up to 16 apprentices at a time.

Mack says the program benefits the healthcare workers, but the greater community also benefits.

Officials with Iowa Workforce Development says Iowa’s healthcare industry has faced worker shortages in recent years and using the ‘earn and learn” model will boost those numbers. The occupations the New Healthcare Credentialing Grant will be supporting include Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, Certified Medical Assistant and more.