Government, education and health care officials will start a conversation next week about the workforce needs of the health care industry, and how Rainy River Community College can play a role in preparing students for those jobs.

“We feel it’s our responsibility to meet the workforce needs in our community,” said Ken Simberg, interim provost at RRCC. “We want to make sure we’re fulfilling our role in providing training where it’s needed.”

The first-ever International Falls Health Care Summit will bring together local and northeast Minnesota region officials and representatives from the health care industry for the discussion. RRCC officials will explore ideas for possible expansions of health care programs or the creation of new ones to meet those job demands in the region.

The summit is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the AmericInn in International Falls.

The overall purpose of the event is to strengthen economic development in the area by providing training for jobs with the most workforce needs. Providing more training opportunities could also attract more students to the area, which also strengthens the local economy, Simberg said.

“This could be a win-win situation,” he said.

The college currently provides programs in nursing. With the recent changes in the programs to meet new accreditation standards, local officials had discussions about possibly expanding to offer more health care training for the area.

“I think it’s a terrific idea,” Simberg said. “It’s probably the best way I know to make sure we are communicating with the health care industry to find out what their workforce needs are, when they have those needs, and how large their needs are.”

He added that as the health care industry continues to grow and change, higher education plays a crucial role in meeting the industry’s workforce needs. This especially applies to RRCC as the only higher education institute in Koochiching County, he said.

Cynthia Jaksa, International Falls city councilor, is one of the government representatives attending the meeting. She said it’s important to think about both continuing education opportunities and entry-level needs in the field.

“Anything that impacts the college impacts us (the city) economically,” Jaksa said, adding that the college is one of the top 10 economic resources in the area. “It makes sense that we strengthen our key resources and look to expand and protect them.”