At the Bamberg Job Corps Center, our students receive free services at the local hospital.  Over the last 6-month period, our center saved over $25,000 in hospital charges.  Two of our students were admitted to the hospital during this time period—one with cellulitis and one with a staph infection. My staff has received Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certifications from the hospital. We didn’t pay a dime for any of this.  We also receive money under a grant with South Carolina State University to run our center’s successful weight improvement program.  It’s not pure luck that we receive all of these perks.  It has taken years of networking, relationship building, and working in the community to secure all of these benefits.

In this era of budget cuts and high demand for quality services, networking is vital to survival.  In order to build a strong networking system, you must be willing to dig in and get to work.  The magic of free service may not come overnight, but it’s worth investing the extra effort and time to develop a strong and diverse network.  You can begin to develop your network with these steps:

Networking with the clinical community

• Become well known in the community of your Job Corps center.
• Visit all of your subcontractor’s offices and create letters of agreement with others that are not contracted to the center.
• Join committees and boards that exist in the health arena in your area.
• Create and develop a relationship with the CEO, CFO and DON from area hospitals.  This provides unbelievable advantages for services for the students.

Colleges and Universities

• Colleges and universities are great avenues to obtain services for students.  These services will help with your budget and may also help with staffing.  Often, employees will be provided to the centers at no cost to assist in counseling areas (TEAP and SART), and management of chronic illness groups.
• The local colleges and universities can also provide you with student nurses or phlebotomy technicians for clinical hours to assist with staffing shortages.

Work with local organizations

• Develop connections with the local Voc Rehab services.
• Check with the local community mental health services for programs to benefit students, such as victim's services or crisis stabilization programs.

Medications

• Talk with your center physician about the pharmaceutical programs where free samples are provided. The representatives will also provide inservices and lunch to staff on a variety of topics.
• Check the Internet for pharmacy indigent programs where students can sign up for medications or discounts.

If you’re a new manager, get to know your program first and assess your needs. Maintain the networks that are already in place, and build on them as you become knowledgeable in your new position.

Happy networking!