GOED Approves Workforce Development Program
The Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) Board of Directors has approved a grant to the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) for an advanced manufacturing rapid response program. The grant is for $2 million and is expected to expand skilled training offerings in southern Nevada by expanding and accelerating the training programs CSN offers for advanced manufacturing and other technical skills. Funding for the grant will come from Nevada’s Workforce Innovations for the New Nevada (WINN) fund.
Fulfillment Fund Awards 155 Scholarships
The Fulfillment Fund Las Vegas (FFLV) has awarded 155 scholarships to help fund post-secondary education. The local non-profit is geared toward low-income, first generation students. Since opening its doors in 2012, FFLV has awarded over $1.4 million in scholarships to students in grades 9-12. In addition to scholarships, FFLV provides resources to students and their families including guidance on college deadlines, testing requirements and financial aid.
Valley Health System Welcomes New Residents
Last month, The Valley Health System Graduate Medical Education Consortium (VHSGME) filled all of its residency openings in the newly formed emergency medicine residency program as well as the family medicine and general surgery programs. A total of 30 residents were matched to the Valley Health System and began practicing on the first of July. Residents include 10 family medicine residents for a three-year program, four general surgery residents for a five-year program, eight surgery residents for the one-year preliminary training program and eight residents for the new three-year emergency program. Moving forward, Valley Heath plans to offer residency programs in internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology and psychiatry.
Amazon Announces Over 2,000 Nevada Hires
Amazon recently announced that it will provide over 2,000 recent seasonal hires with the opportunity to stay on full-time in Nevada. The new roles are for customer fulfillment and delivery and the company expects to offer additional full-time roles in the coming days. In March the company hired 175,000 temporary, full- and part-time roles across the country and is providing 125,000 of those workers with the opportunity to transition to permanent, full-time roles.
HealtHIE Nevada Sees Increase in Health Data Accessed
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, HealtHIE Nevada, the state’s health information exchange (HIE) has seen a 36 percent increase in the number of patients whose health data has been accessed in their system. The HIE provides doctors with real-time information on patient medical records and eased regulations during emergencies has allowed for an increase in access. The additional access should provide a more robust informational surveillance of health cases, care summaries, test results, imaging exams and physician notes.
Department of Commerce Awards Grant for Water Infrastructure
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded a $2 million grant to the city of Wells to help the community make critical water infrastructure improvements. The EDA grant will be matched with over $270,000 in local investment and is expected to create 45 jobs and spur $10 million in private investment. The improvements are needed to maintain commercial and industrial operations during significant flood events and are funded under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.
SBA and Treasury Provide Guidance and Transparency on Paycheck Protection Program
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan designed to provide direct incentive for small businesses to keep workers on the payroll. While the loan may be forgiven, the rules concerning the PPP has been confusing to many. Recently, the PPP Flexibility Act was passed to provide businesses with more time and flexibility. The SBA and Treasury will provide guidance, modified borrower applications and a modified loan forgiveness application that implements the most recent changes. In addition, the SBA and Treasury have agreed to add transparency to the PPP recipients, making additional data available to the public. The SBA is expected to release recipient’s business names, addresses, NAICS codes, zip codes, business type, demographic data, non-profit information, jobs supported and loan amount ranges. For the latest information on the PPP go to SBA.gov.
Nevada Ranks in Studies for Financial Need
Nevada has ranked 13th on a study of states where residents are financially hurting the most during COVID-19. The study, from SmartAsset, compared states across six metrics, including unemployment, housing insecurity and food insufficiency. In a similar study conducted by WalletHub comparing states that need the most financial help due to COVID-19, Nevada ranked 8th overall. The state was 17th for rainy day funds per capita, 15th for state and local debt per capita and 25th for state preparedness for severe recession.
