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Initiative: IU Northwest Health and Human Services Programs
Location: Gary, Indiana

Hot Jobs and a Healthier Economy

IU Northwest's emphasis on health and human services is improving northwest Indiana's economic well-being

Health services are red hot in northwest Indiana.

Fifteen of the 50 “hottest” jobs in northwest Indiana are health professions, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. Area employers will hire an estimated 1,760 registered nurses between 2004 and 2014, making registered nursing the hottest job of all.

From a Bachelor of Science in Nursing to an Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene to a Master of Social Work, IU Northwest offers academic programs for 9 of the 15 health professions on the list. It’s no coincidence: the campus has made health and human services one of its top priorities.

Training Health Professionals

IU Northwest opened the state-of-the-art Dunes Medical/Professional Building in 2006 and established the College of Health and Human Services, which is closely affiliated with the IU School of Medicine (IUSM)—Northwest, in 2007, bringing the campus’s programs in medicine, nursing, dental education, social work, and allied health sciences under one roof, physically and philosophically. “We have a unified vision for meeting the area’s needs,” says Linda Delunas, associate professor of nursing.

This vision involves training more students to be skilled health professionals. In coming years, IU Northwest hopes to expand its health and human services degree offerings and increase enrollment in these programs. IUSM—Northwest, for example, plans to increase the number of incoming students from 18 to 26 by fall 2009. Currently students complete the last two years of medical school in Indianapolis, but IUSM —Northwest is beginning the process of adding a third and fourth year to its curriculum.

“This will improve the quality of care in our region because our excellent physician faculty will share up-to-the-minute knowledge about disease management and patient care with our student doctors,” says Patrick Bankston, assistant dean and director of the school and interim dean of the College of Health and Human Services. “We predict that student doctors who train and build strong relationships with our doctors and hospitals in northwest Indiana will be more likely to live and work here for the long term.”

The College of Health and Human Services and IUSM —Northwest are also developing innovative programs such as the Chronic Patient Program, which began in January 2008. Groups composed of one medical student, one nursing student, and one social work student treat the same patient over a year and a half. The students get clinical experience and learn to work as a team. “This is the first program of its kind, as far as we know,” Bankston says.

High-Quality Care Close to Home

“Our focus on health and human services will help us address serious issues in northwest Indiana, such as obesity, diabetes, and the health needs of underserved populations,” says Bruce Bergland, IU Northwest chancellor.

While some people are underserved, others go to Chicago or other areas for treatment, taking approximately $400 million in gross in-patient dollars with them each year, because they have misperceptions about the level of care available to them. “We have excellent doctors and hospitals here in northwest Indiana. Many of our doctors were trained at the finest medical schools in the country,” says Amy Han, director of clinical affairs at IUSM—Northwest. “We’re hoping to show people in northwest Indiana that you don’t need to leave the area to receive an excellent standard of care.”

To keep health care dollars in northwest Indiana, IUSM—Northwest has partnered with nine area hospitals to improve the quality of care and the perception of care. And Clarian Health is supplying the school with a telemedicine cart so pediatric dermatology patients can receive long-distance care from Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

A Healthy Trend

It’s all culminating in a healthier community—and economy. “Health care and social assistance has been the fastest-growing sector in the local economy,” says Don Coffin, associate professor of economics at IU Northwest. In the years ahead, health professions will be increasingly vital to northwest Indiana’s economic well-being.

And IU Northwest is ready to educate the students who will fill these jobs. As Linda Delunas says, “The growth in jobs is going to be tremendous. We want to help students in the area step in to meet the need.”

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