Vaccination Demands Reinforce Need for Futuro Health’s Allied Workers

As part of President Biden’s aggressive COVID-19 prevention plan, vaccination hubs are popping up in communities at accelerated rates. What was once reserved for pharmacies and clinical offices, vaccination centers are now making their way to convention centers and stadiums. With these larger vaccination hubs comes additional staffing requirements. No matter the size, vaccination locations require qualified healthcare workers to ensure efficient and safe immunization. But these workers aren’t always easy to come by. There is a national shortage of allied healthcare workers, particularly in California, and this shortage is slowing the country’s vaccine distribution. There is a looming demand for approximately 500,000 new allied healthcare workers by 2024 in California alone, with an annual need of 65,000+ workers.

This daunting gap is precisely why Futuro Health has made a commitment to graduate 10,000 new licensed and/or credentialed allied healthcare workers by 2024.

“Vaccination sites need trained healthcare workers.  We have seen how inequitable care can be distributed be and want to offset that by growing caregivers in every community,” said Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan. “That’s why we’re passionate about filling this pipeline as swiftly and skillfully as possible.”

Futuro Health’s work is particularly important given President Biden’s focus on ensuring marginalized and underserved communities have equitable vaccine access. Eighty-five percent of Futuro Health’s students are female, 87 percent of whom are diverse, and 34 percent of all students speak a language in addition to English. That means diverse students go on to improve health within their communities, generating greater provider-to-patient trust.

Futuro Health has partnered with several health care organizations in California to administer vaccinations, providing more than 250,000 doses so far. As we continue to fight COVID-19 and recover from the crisis, community health organizations can rely on Futuro Health graduates to supply qualified, diverse workers.

Employers can utilize a few different Futuro Health resources to access skilled allied workers.

AlliedUP, Futuro Health’s healthcare staffing co-op, focuses solely on staffing for allied healthcare roles. Thousands of trained part-time and temporary workers are available for hire in a variety of positions.

Recruiting from Futuro Health gives health organizations the power to directly access a talent pool that has been distinctly educated and trained for today’s skill sets.

Futuro Health Employer Consortium addresses company struggles in hiring, retention, and day-one ready candidates by creating a hub of like-minded companies to actively prepare the next generation of workers based on the in-demand skills.

For more information on how employers can partner with Futuro Health, click here.

For more information on staffing your vaccination sites with allied healthcare workers, click here.

Community Health Workers Play Crucial Role in Pandemic’s Mental Health Aftermath

National efforts, including May’s Mental Health Awareness Month, aim to raise awareness of those living with mental or behavioral health issues and reduce the stigma so many experience. Unfortunately, despite this national spotlight, mental and behavioral health remains critical and frequently unaddressed matters in racial and ethnic minority communities, leading to dire consequences including longer hospitalizations, more emergency room visits, and even greater mortality. One way to address inequities and improve patient care is to increase patients’ access to Community Health Workers who are trained to work within their communities, where they promote healthy living and act as a key connector between patients and their care providers. 

Community Health Workers, or CHWs, are identified by the World Health Organization as a key resource to providing basic health services for underserved areas. Despite the enormous impact and influence these workers have on communities, demand for Community Health Workers, particularly those with a behavioral health background, is at an all-time high. In light of the pandemic, economic turmoil, and civil unrest that has plagued the country, people are turning to mental health and wellness resources at increasing rates, but the sector lacks the workforce to adequately support them. 

Futuro Health’s new, tuition-free Community Health Worker with Behavioral Health Program seeks to close this gap by training more CHWs who will bring compassionate care into traditionally underserved communities. 

“Studies show that time and time again, one of the best ways to improve health outcomes in communities is to ensure that the medical professionals are representative of those communities,” said Van Ton-Quinlivan, CEO of Futuro Health. “That’s why Futuro Health places such critical importance in helping students get a tuition-free education so that they can provide meaningful service to their community, in roles that are in-demand, stable, and impactful.”

Working at the community level to promote healthy living brings the greatest health benefits to the greatest number of people. It also helps to reduce health gaps caused by differences in income, education, race and ethnicity, location and other factors that can affect health. Futuro Heath’s program not only supports underserved communities from the output, but the input as well, as most of Futuro Health students are from underserved or underrepresented communities. The result is a symbiotic environment, where Community Health Workers not only serve their communities but represent their communities. This is an important aspect in improving health outcomes.

“We do a lot with lifestyle practices, recognizing that chronic diseases are often about a lack of resources and poverty and a direct correlation with the social determinants of health,” said Karissa Moreno, a Community Health Worker who shares her experience in a new Futuro Health video. “We really empower individuals with the power and tools so they can thrive.” 

Futuro Health’s CHW with Behavioral Health program covers all the standards and requirements to position workers for success in the field. With a lens on racial, ethnic, and societal disparities, the program is particularly impactful in preparing students to help people who suffer from diabetes, heart disease, trauma, anxiety, depression, substance use and other conditions.

Moreover, students who complete Futuro Health’s CHW with Behavioral Health program graduate debt-free and have unparalleled support to be placed in fulfilling, high paying jobs immediately upon graduation. Futuro Health is actively enrolling CHW students throughout the summer. For more information on how to apply, click here.