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The Allied Health Career Pipeline at Hostos Community College recognized they needed to focus on Adult Basic Education (ABE) training to help their participants achieve success. They introduced ABE training in 2018 as a part of their Home Health Aide (HHA) training and later offered it as a prerequisite to Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) students.

The Partnership to STEP UP in Health Careers (STEP-UP) program at the Chicago State University focuses on a multi-level approach to career improvement in high demand health professions. The program serves low-income individuals and TANF recipients in Chicago, especially the south side and the southern suburbs.

The Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board (GPTCHB) implements the Great Plains Pathways to Healthcare Professions (PHP) program in a cross-section of urban sites, rural areas, and reservations across South Dakota and Nebraska. PHP provides support services for recipients to obtain basic skills education as well as credentials recognized by the local healthcare industry.

The Health Education Access through Rural Training (HEART) Project at Turtle Mountain Community College provides educational opportunities to TANF and low-income individuals living in rural communities. Participants receive training for occupations in the healthcare field that pay well and experience labor shortages or are in high demand.

Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Buffalo at Buffalo and Erie County Workforce Development Consortium knows an investment in their clients is an investment in the future of upstate New York. HPOG Buffalo prepares participants for employment in healthcare jobs offering advancement opportunities through career pathways. They accomplish this through wrap-around support services provided by the program and a strong network of community partners. This collaboration allows for the delivery of results-oriented services to temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) recipients and low-income adults.

The Rochester Health Professions Opportunity Grant (ROC-HPOG) program at Action for a Better Community Inc. is different from other HPOG programs. Located in Rochester, NY, the program is made up of partnering community organizations and educational institutes. This setup enables ROC-HPOG to host program information sessions and provide support services at multiple healthcare trainings locations throughout Monroe County. The program was designed this way so community agencies could recruit program participants, guide recruits to the appropriate training partner, and, eventually, employment.

Whatcom Community College (WCC) added the Innovations in Creating Access to Careers in Healthcare Grant (I-CATCH) program to their campus in October 2018. The I-CATCH program is open to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and low-income individuals looking for a new career in healthcare. WCC’s addition of I-CATCH opened training and support services to more people in Washington state. It also brought a new approach to I-CATCH participant coaching. The WCC I-CATCH program uses a student-centered coaching approach, which focuses on utilizing campus and community resources to fund and support students’ personal needs. The coaching also keeps employment in mind through every step of the student’s academic progression.

In early 2019, the Cankdeska Cikana Community College Next Steps program partnered with the Spirit Lake Employment and Training Center (ETC) to create a dual training program. The dual program provides youth interested in healthcare the opportunity for additional skill development and employment potential while enhancing the reservation’s quality of healthcare services for its elder population. The collaboration offers participants of Next Steps’ existing certified nursing assistant (CNA) training and Spirit Lake’s individual qualified service provider (QSP) program to complete either or both certifications at the same time.

The Southwestern Connecticut Health CareeRx Academy at The WorkPlace, Inc. in Bridgeport, Connecticut uses hard data to bolster positive impacts related to healthcare training completion and employment. The Health CareeRx Academy partnered with Brandeis University’s Institute on Assets and Social Policy to analyze Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program data on career advancement in the healthcare field. Brandeis University studied the first round of HPOG participants (HPOG 1.0) and concluded that HPOG is very effective at getting people into an initial training and an entry-level healthcare job, but the model for career advancement needed to shift. Confusion about projected rates and paths of growth in certain healthcare jobs impacted the training participants chose. This led to some participants dropping out of training before completing or attempting to switch to a new field.

Pima County Community College supports community healthcare and workforce needs through the Health Career Opportunities with Personalized Education Supports (HOPES) program. Funded by a Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG), HOPES provides training in high-demand healthcare fields to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income individuals. Throughout the years, HOPES lives up to its namesake with continued participant success.