The need for a skilled, diverse healthcare industry is evident. National nursing organizations, nursing philanthropies, and other stakeholders within the healthcare community agree that recruitment of underrepresented groups into nursing is a priority.
“The fact that the nation’s health professions have not kept pace with changing demographics may be an even greater cause of disparities in health access and outcomes than the persistent lack of health insurance for tens of millions of Americans. Today’s physicians, nurses, and dentists have too little resemblance to the
diverse populations they serve, leaving many Americans feeling excluded by a system that seems distant and uncaring.” – “Missing Persons: Minorities in Health Professions” by the Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce.
Highline Community College, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, VMFC St. Anne Hospital and the Training Fund have partnered together to address equity and access challenges faced by BIPOC and immigrant healthcare workers. Together our partners hope to simplify and improve nursing advising, create clear school-specific program plans, implement a worker friendly schedule for nursing pre-requisites, investigate and address equity gaps in nursing program enrollment, and lay foundations for a
part-time RN program at Highline Community College. This will lead to an accessible nursing pathway for incumbent workers, such as Training Fund members!
This partnership was created as a part of a Hospital Employee Education and Training (HEET) Grant. Other features of this partnership include;
- Students getting the classes they need with support.
- Navigation provided by the Training Fund and Highline Community College.
- Childcare funding.
- Technology/Transport reimbursements.
- Hybrid classes.
- Tutors connected to the classes.
- Tuition Assistance for eligible Training Fund members
- Guidance from Highline Community College to help with other financial aid.
- Helps with pre-requisite classes towards a nursing degree.
Want to learn more about this HEET Grant funded initiative? Contact Lead Regional Education Navigator Cindy Holland at . You can read about all of our HEET Grant programs this year at https://bit.ly/HEET-Program.