40. Community Need Treating brain dead patients for the purpose of organ donation creates a unique opportunity for education, training and research that does not exist in any other patient populations. Students from local universities will have the opportunity to learn routine patient care, minimally invasive procedures, respiratory management, anesthesia, and even the surgical removal of organs for transplantation and research alongside trained medical professionals. Additional training such as critical care transport that could include utilization for electric medical air transport, sample preparation and pathology will be provided. Opportunities for enhanced learning for non-medical/nursing students will also be available, including social work, clinical laboratory science, anatomy and biomedical engineering. Additional programs will be developed, including transplantation and donation science education, respiratory therapy and surgical recovery specialties. When a student graduates from a partner institution, their educational experience will be unmatched by other academic institutions, translating to an immediate positive impact on their future employer and the community.

Through our relationship with the Dayton Regional STEM School, we can offer an opportunity for high school juniors to complete their healthcare internship with LCO, be hired on as a nursing aid, take advantage of our tuition reimbursement program to obtain their undergraduate degree and utilize our tuition forgiveness program to earn their master’s degree. This partnership will provide highly trained master’s-level educated individuals with virtually zero student loan debt who never had to leave the Dayton region.

These opportunities not only create a pipeline of talent for LCO but also for the entire healthcare community. The impact on the community could be compounded by requiring students to receive education on population health, community disparities and preventative healthcare to guard against end-stage renal disease (ESRD). A more robust workforce with a well-rounded education will be life changing. It is our hope that this ORC will not only have an immediate impact on developing the local workforce, but also have a large, long-lasting impact on community health.

Ohio is growing while experiencing the lowest unemployment rate in the state’s history. This life-changing project creates an opportunity to not only invest in local community education, but to recruit talent into our state and then retain that talent locally. Students will have a strategic advantage when entering the workforce, and medical students will have experiences exceeding other residency program applicants. The development of this project will have a transformative impact on workforce development, higher education, and population health for our community.