KY launches new network to train health services professionals

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), in partnership with the Department for Community-Based Services (DCBS) and a consortium of postsecondary institutions, kicked off the Community Learning Network at a July 29 meeting in Frankfort.

CPE said the program provides a more “responsive, modern and regionally inclusive” workforce training system for Kentucky’s human services professionals, including over 5,000 DCBS employees and thousands of foster parents, kinship caregivers and community partners across 120 counties.

CPE said it is leading the state’s transition from a single training vendor at Eastern Kentucky University to a consortium of universities consisting of Brescia University, Morehead State University, and Northern Kentucky University. The move will expand access to training and improve local responsiveness and relevance, with centers in Morehead, Louisville, Hazard, Bowling Green, and Owensboro.

“I am grateful to CPE and Dr. Thompson for stepping up to coordinate an enhanced training system for Kentucky’s human services workers,” said Steven Stack, M.D., Secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. “Well-trained DCBS professionals mean better outcomes for children and families across the Commonwealth.”