Midland Memorial Hospital (MMH), Project Search, the Midland Independent School District (MISD), PermiaCare, Texas Workforce Solutions (TWS), and Empowering Hands have come together to form a partnership to launch a program on Aug. 9 intended to provide internship opportunities to fresh graduates of Midland High School or Legacy Senior High School with developmental disabilities.
“MMH wants to assist these interns in finding employment and becoming successful in their future endeavors,” MMH President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stephen Bowerman said in an Aug. 8 press release. “After completion of the program, we hope they have gained useful knowledge and feel at home so they can join our MMH family as employees.”
The hospital said the program kicked off with seven interns whose ages range from 18 to 22. “These interns came to us from MISD to complete the one-year employment preparation program,” MMH said in the release. “The program will follow the MISD calendar.” The first day of classes for the 2023-2024 academic year in the district was Aug. 9.
KOSA Channel 7 reports that while the program’s goal is to have the interns continue their employment with the hospital, it looks to help the young men and women seek other employment opportunities across the country if necessary. “What we’re going to do is learn about working in a hospital. Training,” intern Santos Ramirez told the station.
According to KOSA, the interns are required to undergo two weeks of orientation before they’re able to follow MMH employees. Shirley Loughlin, the hospital’s staff development manager, said in the report that the interns not only learn job skills but life skills as well.
“The misconception is that they can’t do a normal job,” Loughlin told the station. “But with a little extra steps, a little bit of job coaching, they can do the job. They just need a little bit more time with those job skills so that they can learn them.”