EDUCATING for the next 150
Education: $25 million
Our healthcare system is only as strong as our workforce.
In too many areas of the state — particularly rural communities — provider shortages are causing interruptions in care. Through The NEXT 150 Campaign, we will train and educate more of the primary care physicians, specialists, nurses, and entry-level health care professionals that Maine so urgently needs.
With your help, this campaign will raise $25 million for education and workforce development.
Creating the Healthcare Workforce for Maine
Training More Doctors for Rural Maine
In partnership with Tufts University School of Medicine, our Maine Track medical school program is building a pipeline of physicians who are skilled in rural medicine and encouraging them to practice in Maine. The program has three goals:
- Address the shortage of doctors in Maine, especially in rural areas.
- Offer Maine’s brightest students the financial means to pursue a career in medicine.
- Develop an innovative curriculum focused on community-based education.
The strategy is working: more than 300 doctors have graduated, and many are staying and setting up their practice in Maine.
Becoming the Solution to the Nursing Shortage
Maine Medical Center is actively engaged in tackling the state’s nursing shortage with a multi-pronged strategy:
- Facilitating increased nursing school enrollment
- Recruiting new nurses
- Retaining and advancing our current caregivers through awarding nursing scholarships
With your help, we will devote more resources to professional development and education for Maine Medical Center and MaineHealth nurses – who are essential to the care of all patients.
Removing Barriers for Prospective Entry-Level Health Care Workers
Entry-level jobs in health care such as medical assistants, certified nursing assistants, and technicians are critically important for delivering care.
Through this campaign, the MaineHealth Center for Workforce Development will help to fill this vital workforce gap by:
- Providing educational opportunities, resources, and tools to support employees’ skill development and professional growth.
- Introducing young students to all of the career opportunities that MaineHealth has to offer.
- Enhancing and promoting employment opportunities within the communities we serve.
Your support will help Maine Medical Center to…
- Increase the supply of doctors, nurses, and allied health care professionals for Maine
- Reduce student debt and increase educational opportunities for Mainers to pursue health care careers
- Enhance health care career pathways, including growth opportunities, career ladders, and mentoring
- Recruit and train New Mainer population of immigrants and refugees, as well as veterans, underemployed individuals, retirees, and pre-retirees
- Reduce health disparities and improve the health of our communities
