Lake County supervisors approve letter backing $9 million Redwood Region Rise workforce center

The Lake County Board of Supervisors approved and signed a letter of support for an application to the Redwood Region Rise Catalyst Fund for a proposed healthcare workforce development and simulation center adjacent to Sutter Lakeside.

The board's action supports an application to a $9,000,000 state-backed Redwood Region Rise Catalyst Fund to establish a regional workforce development center serving Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino and Lake counties. "I'm here for a letter of support for the Redwood Region Rise Catalyst Fund, which is a $9,000,000 fund set up by the state of California," said Ben Rickleman, deputy county administrative officer. He described the project as having three components: a student experiential center for middle and high school students, mid-level recruiting and training in partnership with local medical systems and community outreach including CPR and parenting classes.

Why it matters: County staff said the center aims to expand local career pathways into healthcare occupations that are difficult to recruit from outside the region, such as blood technicians and other mid-level positions. "So really get a feel of kind of all the different possibilities," Rickleman said of the student experiential component. He added that the initiative aligns with Redwood Region Rise priorities in health care and workforce development and that several partners are engaged, including community colleges, offices of education, three local medical systems and school districts. The Economic Development Corporation is taking the lead on pre-construction work, Rickleman said.

Supervisors voiced support and sought clarification on partnerships and geographic access. Supervisor Sabatier said she appreciated models that lead students to local hospital jobs and asked whether Woodland (a community college presence referenced in the discussion) was included among official partners; Rickleman said Woodland had been engaged in discussions but was not yet an official partner and that the Mendocino curriculum currently leans more toward this industry at its Lake County campus. "I think getting that foot in the door is absolutely a future to a career," Sabatier said.

Supervisor Rasmussen said the program offered positive benefits to the county and moved to approve the letter of support. "I will make a motion to approve and sign the LCHISC letter of support," Rasmussen said. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; the presiding official announced, "Motion carries. Thank you, Ben, very much. And, I'm sure we'll get that letter done today." The motion authorized the county to provide a formal letter of support for the Redwood Region Rise application; no additional binding commitments or funding allocations by the board were recorded in the meeting.

Project details provided in the meeting: the center would be sited beside a currently vacant office building at Sutter Lakeside, include hands-on experiential programming for middle and high school students, collaborate with the county's three medical systems for recruitment and mid-level training, and provide community classes such as CPR and postoperative care. Staff said there are ongoing conversations about delivering some classes or transport from the Clear Lake area to address travel distances across the county; no definitive plan for satellite classes or schedules was presented.

Next steps: staff will prepare and send the approved letter of support as part of the Redwood Region Rise Catalyst Fund application process. Funding remains contingent on the statewide competitive grant process and additional partner agreements.