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Nuvia came to Rochester, New York from Cuba where she worked as a registered nurse (RN). Coming to America as a refugee was exciting but not without conflict and challenges. When she relocated with her husband and two children, she did not speak English well and needed to find employment to support her family. Nuvia applied for many entry-level jobs in the healthcare field and at local restaurants, but she was turned away each time. She was not ready to give up on her goals of helping her family reach self-sufficiency.

Nuvia knew that improving her English was the first step. In October 2017, she enrolled in an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) class at the Office of Adult and Career Education Services (OACES). OACES is a recruitment partner for the ROC-HPOG: Rochester Health Profession Opportunity Grant Project , facilitated by Action for a Better Community, Inc. After enrolling in the ESOL program, Nuvia learned about ROC-HPOG from a classmate. She was very excited about the opportunity to have financial and emotional support from the ROC-HPOG team while training in the healthcare field. After meeting her navigator, Dr. Malalah, she felt that with HPOG’s help, she could once again work in the healthcare field. Working together, they devised a plan to get Nuvia back to work as a registered nurse.

In July 2019, Volunteers of America Michigan (VOAMI) added a new staff role to their VOAMI Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program. The Training and Enrichment (TE) Specialist offers extra guidance to participants as they move from enrollment to healthcare training to employment. The TE Specialist offers one-on-one support, connecting participants to the best resources for their needs. They host workshops and job fairs and also reach out to local healthcare employers to stay up to date on open positions, company culture, and future needs.

Follow the training and employment career progress of HPOG 2.0 participants in the latest infographic from HPOG.

At the age of 35, Jenica was a working student supporting five children. She temped as a medical surgical technician, making $9.35 an hour while studying to fulfill her dream of becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN). Her family received SNAP benefits, but Jenica knew she needed more support to achieve her goal of becoming self-sufficient.

While searching for assistance, Jenica learned of Project HOPE: Healthcare Occupations Preparation for Employment . While attending a Project HOPE information session, she learned they could provide her with the assistance she was seeking. She enrolled in Project HOPE on June 26, 2017. Jenica was so excited that she cried tears of joy.

Healthcare employers in Anchorage, AK, look beyond test scores when hiring entry-level employees. The demand for new hires with interpersonal and soft skills is on the rise. Employer partners of the Cook Inlet Tribal Council Health Profession Opportunity Grants (CITC HPOG) program in Alaska stated a clear need for entry-level employees to demonstrate such skills. Initiative and a strong work ethic are highly sought-after traits, yet they are often hard to find in the incoming local healthcare workforce.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients in Texas face a challenge when it comes to training and education. Under the state’s work-first service model, parents are required to work a minimum of 30 to 40 hours a week to receive TANF benefits. This forces them to choose between work and school. Through thoughtful planning with community partners, Alamo Colleges District’s Alamo Health Profession Opportunity Grant (Alamo HPOG) program found a way to offer full-time training to TANF recipients without fear of losing their benefits.

Brandi has a long-standing passion for medicine. The mother of two worked for many years as a registered medical assistant before making the decision to go back to school to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN). With few nursing school options near, Brandi and her family relocated to her hometown of Toledo, Ohio.

Once she settled back in Toledo, Brandi enrolled at Professional Skills Institute (PSI). One fateful day, Brandi ran into an old family friend who had graduated from PSI. They told Brandi about Zepf Center’s Northwest Ohio Pathway to Healthcare Careers (NOPHC) project funded by the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program.

Morgan grew up in a small town called Canajoharie, NY. Her parents were always fighting, and eventually, they divorced when she was 7. Her mother left her with her dad. Morgan’s new stepmom proved to be a bully, leading Morgan to leave home at 16 to live with her 21-year-old boyfriend. They were together for a year until she left him because he was “controlling, lying, and cheating.” Shortly after, she found out she was pregnant and moved south to Schenectady.

Morgan was determined to make a life for her and her son. She worked as a bartender and took care of an elderly neighbor. As she remembers, after looking for a way to build a career, “…somehow I submitted an application to HPOG.” Then she got a call from Ashley, the Upstate Partnership for Healthcare Pathways (UPHP) HPOG program representative at Schenectady Community Action Program (SCAP). The enthusiasm in Ashley’s voice convinced Morgan to start the application process.

One of the strengths of Pathways to Success in Health Care (PSH) is the program’s network of community partners. This diverse network offers PSH participants the support they need as they move through training into the high-demand healthcare field. PSH is facilitated by the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) . CCAC’s position as a trusted education provider helps PSH leverage existing partnerships as well as establish new ones to support training, employment, skills development, and recruitment.

Since she was a little girl, Vanessa strived to be a successful woman. To her, success was measured in love for your job, positivity through failure, and finishing what is started. She knew her first step to finding a job she loved would be education. Vanessa decided to quit her job at a supermarket to return to school and earn her High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma.