This week on Spotlight On Maryland, Gina Crash was joined in studio by Barb Clapp, CEO of Dwyer Workforce Development, (DWD), and Sherna Barksdale, DWD's Director of Case Management, to talk about their mission, growth and future and their upcoming CareForce Collective, a leadership breakfast event on October 9th in the Penguin Room at Whitehall Mill in Baltimore.
DWD's mission is to provide comprehensive support to individuals who lack opportunity and aspire to pursue a career in the healthcare industry, alleviate a severe healthcare workforce shortage, and improve the lives of seniors. They ask the question: what if we could lift up some of our most vulnerable populations-individuals facing barriers to employment and seniors in care facilities-with just one mission? That's the driving force behind Dwyer Workforce Development. They are a nonprofit dedicated to healthcare training for our communities and better care for seniors.
Just since September 2022, DWD has empowered over 8,000 Dwyer Scholars in 7 states: Maryland, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Upstate New York and Kansas! The nonprofit began in Baltimore with an idea by local philanthropists Jack and Nancy Dwyer who recruited Barb Clapp to lead the organization. Barb tells her story and Sherna Barksdale talks about why case management is such an important element in DWD's model as well as explaining some of the challenges their Dwyer Scholars face and how their case managers build trust with people who may be in crisis or starting over to help them succeed.
To find out more about Dwyer Workforce Development, visit their website dwyerworkforcedev.org. You can also follow them on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Click the media player below to listen to the interview and find out more.