Students from GLOW will see job opportunities in healthcare during March 17 event
Photos by Tom Rivers: Madison Davis, a senior at Lyndonville, is looking forward to a career in healthcare. She is in the Allied Health program at Orleans/Niagara BOCES. She speaks during an event last week at Medina Memorial Hospital promoting the March 17 GLOW With Your Hands career exploration opportunity at Genesee Community College.
MEDINA – A career exploration event on March 17 aims to show students from 28 school districts in the GLOW region the many careers available in the rural counties.
This will be the third annual GLOW With Your Hands: Healthcare. About 650 students from the four counties are expected to experience interactive workshops, see “medicine in action” and connect with over 65 regional employers, training programs and post-secondary institutions.
“From nursing and mental health to emergency services and respiratory therapy, students will discover a universe of possibilities and forge their own paths to success,” said Karyn Winters, director of the Genesee County Business Education Alliance and co-chair of GLOW With Your Hands: Healthcare.
She spoke at an event last week at Medina Memorial Hospital, highlighting the upcoming career exploration initiative.
Karyn Winters, director of the Genesee County Business Education Alliance, said the GLOW With Your Hands events in March and September have been big successes for students to see careers in trades, manufacturing, agriculture and healthcare.
Several groups are working together on the event, such as Orleans County Job Development, Livingston County Area Chamber, Wyoming County Business Education Council, the GLOW workforce development offices, Genesee County Economic Development Center, Genesee Community College, and Medina Memorial Hospital,
“Our mission is clear: to empower the next generation of healthcare professionals and ensure a thriving healthcare workforce right here in the GLOW region,” Winters said. “We’re not just talking about jobs; we’re talking about building careers, fostering and retaining talent, and strengthening our communities.”
Kim Gray, chief nursing officer and director of surgical services at Orleans Community Health and Medina Memorial, said she is pleased to welcome interns and students at the hospital, calling it “an incredible opportunity to connect with students and inspire the next generations of healthcare professionals.”
Kim Gray, chief nursing officer and director of surgical services at Medina Memorial Hospital, said healthcare is a “dynamic and rewarding field, one that requires compassion, dedication, and a lifelong commitment to learning.”
Gray said Orleans Community Health and Medina Memorial have partnered with many educational programs to help students gain hands-on experience and insight into many careers in the healthcare field. OCH and Medina Memorial open their doors to the Allied Health program at Orleans/Niagara BOCES, University at Buffalo, GCC, NCCC, Daemen University and D’Youville University.
“I am personally proud to be part of this work, and I want to emphasize just how essential programs like GLOW With Your Hands are in helping students explore the world of healthcare,” Gray said. “These events allow students to interact directly with professionals, ask questions, and experience first-hand what it is like to work in a hospital or other healthcare setting.”
GLOW With Your Hands showcases an array of opportunities available in healthcare right here in the local community.
This group is promoting the GLOW With Your Hands healthcare career exploration event on March 17 at GCC in Batavia. From left include Mark Shurtz, CEO of Orleans Community Health and Medina Memorial Hospital; Kim Gray, chief nursing officer and director of surgical services at OCH and Medina Memorial; Madison Davis, a senior at Lyndonville; Courtney Slack, Allied Health instructor at Orleans/Niagara BOCES; and Kelly Kiebala, director of Job Development and the administrator of the Orleans County Youth Bureau.
Marc Shurtz, CEO of Medina Memorial and Orleans Community Health, noted it is the 100th anniversary of the hospital at the current site at 200 Ohio St.
The smaller facility gives staff and students a chance to see a range of healthcare services.
Mark Shurtz, CEO of Orleans Community Health and Medina Memorial Hospital, said working in the GLOW region offers employees a lower cost of living than in the cities and suburbs.
“The healthcare sector is in dire need of workers, especially in rural communities, and we want to convey to the students that they can have a successful and rewarding career in healthcare without having to leave the area because they think these opportunities don’t exist here,” Shurtz said.
Angela Grouse, director of Education to Employment Initiatives at Livingston County Area Chamber of Commerce, said the rural counties have careers in healthcare and offer the chance for much lower cost of living.
“We don’t want people to have to drive 50 to 60 miles for healthcare,” she said.
Her message to students considered a career in healthcare: “There is a better cost of living and a quality of life, while working in rewarding careers,” she said.
There are still sponsorship opportunities for the March 17th event at the Platinum ($5,000), Gold ($2,500), Silver ($1,000) and Bronze ($500) levels.
For more information about GLOW With Your Hands: Healthcare visit www.GLOWWithYourHands.com/healthcare or contact Chris Suozzi at csuozzi@gcedc.com.
