Wyoming's Fremont County Launches Next Gen Sector Partnership

Health care industry leaders in Fremont County are paving the way for growth opportunities and creating a blueprint for success for other industries in the rest of the state.

A diverse group of CEOs and executives of healthcare and medical organizations in Fremont County came together Nov. 29 to identify the opportunities and actions needed to promote the growth of the sector and launch the Fremont County Healthcare Leadership Table. In addition, community partners from workforce development, education and economic development sectors attended as observers, as the Next Generation Sector Partnership model dictates. The model puts industry professionals -- rather than the public sector -- in the drivers' seat toward industry-wide growth, a reversal to how such partnerships often operate.

The participants identified five opportunities for collaborative, mutually beneficial growth:

• Workforce recruitment/retention/better use of existing professionals

• More and better-defined training opportunities, particularly for shared critical occupations 

• Telehealth expansion, including a county-wide telehealth coordinator, increased investment and participation in existing activity and opportunities

• Improving transportation options available to the public

• Prioritizing community needs, including a community healthcare needs assessment and obesity prevention

Several individuals volunteered to be “champions” for each area, aiming to identify both outcomes and actions to move the priorities forward.

The Next Generation Partnership is all about action, and in order to be successful, it must be driven by industry champions. The next step is for champions to participate in conference calls in January to further develop desired outcomes, measures of success, and actions. These draft outcomes and actions will be discussed and refined at the next Sector Partnership meeting in 2019.

For more information, visit nextgensectorpartnerships.com.