Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
BEDFORD – Presenters from 10 organizations gave updates on programs during the Lawrence County Economic Growth Council’s quarterly stakeholders meeting Jan. 30 at StoneGate Arts & Education Center in Bedford.
Topics included the recent awards of nearly $30 million in Regional Economic Accelerated Development Initiative (READI) funds in the Indiana Uplands, a new adult education partnership, a grant that will focus on recovery and trauma-informed care and health care changes in Lawrence County.
Tina Peterson, president and CEO of Regional Opportunity Initiatives, said the Indiana Uplands region was created seven years ago to bring a sense of regionalism and a focus on regional economic and community prosperity that had been lacking in southwestern Indiana. The 11-county area is home to 48 cities and towns, has a population of 406,482 and a labor force of 190,000.
Lawrence County is the second largest county in the region by population. Peterson pointed to investments by General Motors at the Bedford Casting Operation ($457 million since 2011) and a $600 million investment at the Lehigh Hanson cement plant in Mitchell as examples of recent progress.
On the education front, she highlighted several Lawrence County advances. COSMOS, a collaboration of schools in Mitchell, Orleans and Shoals, is rethinking career pathways for students and the Launching Center at the Boys & Girls Club has brought new opportunities to Lawrence County youth. UpSkill, a high school work and learn program, has 11 participants from Lawrence County, representing half the total participation in the program, and 13 teachers have participated in STEM Fellows.
ROI’s focus on education, workforce and quality of place has resulted in more than a dozen programs to increase housing, train teachers in STEM, add digital fabrication labs to schools, create more career pathways and provide focus for the Ready Communities grants.
The READI grant applications reviewed by ROI were given to projects that focused on innovation, place and talent. Of the $30 million in READI funds awarded to the Indiana Uplands region, $27,071,245 has been committed to 26 projects with an estimated $876,006,174 in public and private match for those projects.
“It was an interesting process and allowed us to engage our entire region about what we want to be and what we see as the strengths, weaknesses and gaps in opportunities in our region,” Peterson said.
In the coming months, Peterson will visit each of the 11 counties in anticipation of a second round of READI funds.
Adult education
Michelle Ellis, director of adult education at the Wagler Education & Training Center in Lyons, spoke about the center’s activities.
The center is a state-approved adult education site offering training and certifications in welding, CNC machining, EMT, CDL, CNA and teaching assistant.
“We’re creating a bank of employees ready to go into the workforce,” she said.
The center receives funding from the Department of Workforce Development and is in close contact with WorkOne.
Adults receive 8 to 10 weeks of training at no cost to the employer and the majority of the students complete training with no out-of-pocket expense. Wagler also offers high school equivalency courses.
Wagler partners with the North Lawrence Career Center to offer welding to adults and also partners with StoneGate to offer para-professional classes.
Families Forever receives grant
John Keesler, professor at the Indiana University School of Social Work and member of the Families Forever board, gave an update on a $500,000 grant Families Forever received from the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction.
The 30-month grant will focus on trauma informed care and expand recovery services in Lawrence and Orange counties.
The data shows that southern Indiana has high rates of adverse childhood experiences, which can include poverty, abuse and neglect, Keesler said. Youth with high rates of ACEs are at risk for substance use and other negative behaviors that persist into adulthood.
“This is about creating a community that collaborates to address (adverse childhood experiences) and to work together to foster success so that other initiatives have success,” Keesler told the audience.
Some of the programs the grant will fund:
- Truancy program targeting grades K-2 at Mitchell Community Schools
- Keeping Kids Safe, a collaboration with Lawrence County Sheriff Greg Day
- Expansion of juvenile support and case management services
- Adolescent substance use support group (referrals from juvenile probation)
- Expansion of a mentoring program for young women at MCS (currently 21 teen girls are participating.)
Health care changes
Shawna Girgis with IU Health Foundation said IU Health Bedford Hospital has seen an increase in emergency room visits and more traffic at its walk-in clinic since Ascension St. Vincent Dunn Hospital closed in December.
The walk-in clinic added providers and Sunday hours to meet the need.
The addition of two federally qualified health centers – Southern Indiana Community Health Care and Indiana Health Center – will provide primary care and OB/GYN services.
SICHC, based in Orange County, is currently seeing patients in Bedford at a medical office on Q Street and will move to a permanent location in Lincoln Plaza this spring.