LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A crisis in the health care field is being seen across the state, including Southern Nevada.
Thousands of new recruits are needed just to meet national standards. On Wednesday, Las Vegas Heals, a nonprofit working to help the health care field in Southern Nevada, teamed up with healthcare professionals to host a career expo to fill the void.
Several healthcare experts said it's about much more than just introducing new people to the field. It's about matching them to the best jobs and filling the needs in the community.
"We really need to show love to these communities by bringing in the support that they need, other nurses, other CNAs other LPNs, with social workers just to meet the national average. We need more than 600 social workers in Nevada," said Las Vegas Heals CEO Diego Trujillo.
Trujillo said his agency is trying to help fill that employment gap. They hosted a career expo at the College of Southern Nevada Wednesday to educate students and get them connected with future jobs.
According to the National Library of Medicine, Nevada ranks 48th in the nation in the number of primary care doctors available per population and 49th in surgeons. The state needs more than 2,500 physicians just to meet national standards.
"For us, it's very important that we're able to bring in the workforce that's going to heal our community and keep us healthy," Trujillo said.
The expo introduced students and prospective employees to employers, but also to new platforms like "Jobtimize". It's a free assessment for employees where they fill out information that connects them to the best job field. Employers can also use the platform to assist them in hiring new employees.
Goodwilland EmployNV were also on hand offering financial help and training for those interested in the field. Both have separate programs. EmployNV mainly helps people that are between 16 and 24 years old, helping them earn jobs and even offering financial help to cover training and costs associated with that, including childcare, gas and uniforms. EmployNV also helps people 25 and older.
Goodwill has several programs, lasting up to 16 weeks, designed to help people getting into the medical field. Several students told Channel 13 it's been tough breaking into the field, so they appreciate the help.
"I want to be able to provide value into people's lives. That includes being able to help them through nursing, being able to help them through healthcare, being able to help them through this field," College of Southern Nevada student Trisha Cagatin said.
Las Vegas Heals said they'll continue to fight to fill the healthcare gaps in the valley and will continue to host expos every three months to help recruit and get people hired.
