HPOG Promising Practice: Montefiore Medical Center, Training and Supportive Services, Partnerships

Publication Date: March 29, 2019
Current as of:

Bronx, NY

Confidence is the key to career building in the Big Apple.

Living in the poorest county in New York State, residents of the Bronx in New York City face significant challenges. In 2017, the Bronx was deemed the unhealthiest county in the state for the eighth year in a row. Unemployment rates are almost 50 percent higher than state average. Almost half of the children in the borough live in poverty.

Montefiore Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG) program is fighting these statistics by building healthier neighborhoods through a commitment to community health.  The program creates opportunities for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income individuals by offering workforce skills development in the healthcare field.

Most Montefiore HPOG participants share common challenges. They deal with homelessness, unemployment, and trouble at home. Many care for family members or loved ones alone. Success can be hard to see through adversity. For most, completing Home Health Aide (HHA) training through Montefiore HPOG is their first successful experience in a classroom.

Montefiore HPOG focuses on leveraging initial success as participants move forward on a career pathway. They have vast a network of partner home health agencies providing on-site training in the Bronx and surrounding areas. Participants have guaranteed employment with the agency upon training completion.

With new professional confidence, comes the courage to take the next step. HPOG vocational counselors guide participants through building basic skills. They have the opportunity to earn a high school equivalency diploma, certification for their next job, and when necessary, develop language skills. Language skills in particular played an important role in one student’s advancement. She completed HHA training in Spanish after residing in the U.S. for only two years. Her counselor encouraged her to enroll in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. She now works with a patient who speaks only English. For her, “This is just the beginning. I will continue advancing until I become a RN.”

Montefiore HPOG also fosters advancement through a partnership with the HPOG-funded Pipeline program at Hostos Community College in the South Bronx. Training and guaranteed employment through Montefiore HHA training provides stability as students further their support and education with the team at Hostos.

For many, like Angelica Brown, the HHA position and HPOG supports are the difference between homelessness and stable housing. “After receiving the news of my acceptance [to HPOG], I was overwhelmed with joy and felt grateful to have been given this opportunity.” Angelica is pursuing her Certified Nursing Assistant certification through the Pipeline program at Hostos, having started her HHA training and career with Montefiore HPOG. Residents of the Bronx can continue to grow no matter their location.

Thanks to HPOG, residents of the Bronx can build a better life for themselves and the community.

This Promising Practice was self-identified by the grantee and information contained in this document was provided by the grantee.