Meeting the need for more health-care workers

Health care goes beyond direct patient care. It's a huge industry that consists of trained individuals who see patients, market facilities, maintain financial records and more.

In our community, it's a major component of the local economy. We have two large health systems that have experienced much growth. For these institutions, it's more than maintaining a hospital. It's a comprehensive look of everything from primary care facilities and prevention to major surgery and specialists. Along with the doctors and nurses are trained professionals with a business background.

A Southeast Missourian story in the July 22 edition highlighted a growing list of health-care education specialties offered in Cape Girardeau. Reporter Ruth Campbell wrote about how Southeast Missouri State University will offer more health-care programs. Dr. Heather McMillan, a faculty member at Southeast, said the goal is to help our local medical providers attract the workforce that currently is coming more from outside the area.

Along with Southeast, the SoutheastHEALTH College of Nursing continues to educate students as does the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center.

It's key for this area to offer quality health-care programs. If we can train people in these fields, providing them a foundation that will translate into local work opportunities, this can be good for the students and the health-care community.

We appreciate these education centers for identifying a need and working to meet it.