eConnectionMay 2023

Feature Story: Helping Fill the Mental Health Worker Pipeline
Our Latest Blog:Mental Health and the Healthcare Workforce Crisis
Meet our Scholar Support Team
Futuro Health in the News
WorkforceRx Podcast: Brent Orrell, Senior Fellow at The American Enterprise Institute: The Rare Gem in Workforce Development

Helping Fill the Mental Health Worker Pipeline

As the gap widens between those in need of mental health services and the shortage of workers to serve them, Futuro Health is bridging that gap by offering a state-approved self-paced learning program for those interested in a Peer Support Specialist (PSS) career.

“The support and responsiveness of my course coach, and others at Futuro Health, has been phenomenal. When I had any questions, comments, or concerns everyone was eager to assist and advocated on my behalf. I really appreciated engaging in this process together with the Futuro Health team.”
- Katherine S.

Research suggests that incorporating peer support into behavioral health treatment programs can improve outcomes for individuals and their families, as well as opening the door for many new individuals to pursue a career in behavioral health, often leading to jobs in communities where access to mental health services is limited.

Futuro Health’s PSS training program was developed by behavioral health experts, and focuses on cultural competency, addiction recovery, trauma-informed care, mental health, and substance use, providing needed training to prepare for the Medi-Cal Peer Support Certification Exam on the pathway to a fulfilling career in behavioral health.

Training is available tuition-free for peer workers with a CalMHSA approved scholarship voucher referred by county mental health and/or substance abuse disorder programs. For more information click here.

Meet some of our Peer Support Specialist Scholars below!

Meet Stephanie D.

Stephanie D. has always thrived by helping others. She started her career in as a Substance Use Disorder Counselor at a residential facility, Stephanie heard about Futuro Health’s Peer Support Specialist training from friends and completed the course to further her skills in her current role as a Case Manager at a San Diego-based Federally Qualified Health Center.

“The Futuro Health Peer Support Specialist program takes a very client centered approach in its training. I would recommend it to others as an excellent way to get your foot in the door for those thinking about a career in mental health and addiction recovery.”

Watch Her Story

Meet Shane S.

Shane S. is a volunteer with an organization of individuals who share practical experiences and sobriety support. Shane enrolled in Futuro Health’s CalMHSA Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification training after researching numerous other programs. He chose Futuro Health because of the flexibility offered through asynchronous training, allowing him to continue his volunteer work while pursuing his passion for helping others.

“The experience and the training through Futuro Health have been invaluable in my own recovery and has helped me become a better convener working with others experiencing issues with substance abuse.”

Shane plans on a career as a peer support specialist, working with seniors who have their own unique challenges when experiencing substance abuse problems.

“The training through Futuro Health was fantastic. It not only prepared me for the state exam, but the knowledge I gained will assist me in the future in my career.”

Our Latest Blog: Mental Health and the Healthcare Workforce Crisis

The exodus of experienced healthcare workers seeking respite from emotional strain, on top of normal attrition is creating a significant workforce gap, leaving healthcare employers facing staffing and retention challenges as remaining workers are burdened with increased workloads to compensate for the shortfall. Shortages in the capacity to supervise new grads hinder a seemingly solid solution for curing this cycle. It’s an ongoing conundrum, as outsized cost pressures loom large for healthcare employers, yet many continue to hire travelers, often at two to three times the cost.

In fact, reducing cost was a central theme as C-suite executives gathered at The Healthcare Management Academy in Nashville, where I recently spoke on the topic of workforce best practices. There is no fast, easy solution to today’s complex circumstances.

Futuro Health has brought thousands of diverse adults into education journeys along their way to allied healthcare careers, reflecting 90 percent diversity and with an average age of 29. Changing careers and returning to education can be a rewarding adventure for adults looking to reinvent themselves or pursue new jobs. Our staff at Futuro Health spends countless hours supporting our adult Scholars, and our unique model provides a solution to their challenges.

Read the complete blog here

Futuro Health Scholar Support Team

The Futuro Health Scholar Support Team is dedicated to supporting our Scholars in their educational journey towards a fulfilling career in healthcare. We understand that each Scholar has unique needs and challenges, and we're here to provide personalized coaching and goal setting to help them succeed. We're committed to celebrating their achievements along the way and working together to overcome any obstacles they may encounter.

Meet the entire Futuro Health Scholar Support Team here!

Futuro Health in the News

Improving Access to Care Through Smart Workforce Strategies

Decoding AQ with Ross Thornley Featuring Van Ton-Quinlivan - Futuro Health CEO

WorkforceRx Podcast

Brent Orrell, Senior Fellow at The American Enterprise Institute

Episode #60: The Rare Gem in Workforce Development

“The evidence is very sparse when it comes to effective practice in the workforce development field,” says Brent Orrell of The American Enterprise Institute. This concerning conclusion comes from the Workforce Futures Initiative, a collaborative project between AEI, the Brookings Institution and the Harvard Kennedy School Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy. But it’s not all bad news. The strong exception is sector-based training. “That is one of the rare gems where we can say with relative certainty that if workforce development practitioners do this approach in the right way, they can get good results.” As Orrell explains to Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan, the strength of this model derives from integrating technical skills training with instruction in so-called “soft skills” which are essential to being able to succeed in the workplace. The result is dramatic and continued increases in wages that lead to family-sustaining incomes. Orrell also credits these programs with doing a better job at keeping trainees engaged through to completion than is typically the case at community colleges which, he says, badly need a boost in the number of educational and career advising staff. Be sure to check out this thoughtful discussion on what works in workforce development, the extra responsibility Americans have to put their skills to work at the highest level, and why we shouldn’t be afraid of generative AI.

Listen To The Latest Podcast

About Futuro Health

Futuro Health is a non-profit organization focused on improving the health and wealth of communities by growing the largest network of healthcare workers in the nation.

Futuro Health makes education journeys into allied health careers possible by growing the talent that employers need and creating a path to opportunity that workers want.

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