communityspotlight


Providing skills at the


forefront of health care and focusing on health outcomes rather than


healthcare services are driving the need for


classes to address this growing trend.


Sunny Ainley, Mindy Hangsleben, Tracy Mastel


Community College The Rx for Holistic


Normandale


Health Careers by Jackie Flaherty


“ N


ormandale’s Integrative Health Education Center is one of the best kept secrets in the Twin Cities,” according to Sunny Ainley, associate dean at Normandale Community


College (Normandale), who hopes to change that. Ainley is part of the continuing education and workforce development department at Normandale and oversees integrative and holistic continuing health education programs.


While Normandale is well known as an affordable two-year college for trans-


ferable credits and two-year degrees, its Integrative Health Education Center also offers the Midwest’s largest selection of classes, workshops, certificate training and special events. “We offer introductory to intermediate classes to bring a variety of health modalities to the public as well as healthcare givers,” says Ainley. Integrative and complementary health approaches are gaining better recognition, awareness and credibility through research and data. “It’s a perfect opportunity for individuals and healthcare practitioners to learn, integrate and practice integrative health con- cepts,” Ainley explains. Part of the success of the holistic programs and classes being offered is due to the growing awareness of the public on the importance of individual ownership of


14 Twin Cities Edition NaturalTwinCities.com


one’s health. Many are seeking ways to alleviate pain, reduce the effects of stress and calm the mind, and they’re learning effective techniques through programs such as tai chi, qigong, meditation and other holistic modalities that can potentially help with a variety of health challenges and overall well-being. Providing skills at the forefront of health care and focusing on health outcomes rather than healthcare ser- vices are driving the need for classes to address this growing trend. “Our mission is to support individuals and our workforce with the knowledge and skills to thrive in their jobs and as a per- son. Staying current with the changing healthcare landscape is critical. Under- standing how to care for people and improve health in innovative and safe ways is a key benefit of learning holistic therapies,” says Ainley. Even though Normandale is part of a large academic institution within a state agency, they are able to respond to the needs of the community with just- in-time, relevant learning that people can use right away. For example, when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) came into being in 2010, much focus was target- ed to improving the healthcare system, including quality improvement goals, care delivery changes and a patient-cen- tered approach. But to the workforce, this meant increased patient care de- mands, possibly greater workloads and more care documentation along with complicated new tools and technology. Normandale has made the latter easier, thanks to a new national training pro- gram that’s being offered online for free (Normandale.edu/continuing-education/ rx-for-healthcare-careers). A new and upcoming area of


growth is in the health information


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