Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Highlights Futuro Health's Workforce Innovation

Healthcare workforce shortages are more than an HR challenge, they're an operational imperative. In a recent Becker's Healthcare Podcast episode, Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan discusses why workforce development should be approached as a team sport, how community-based talent pipelines can strengthen access to care, and why investing in allied health professionals delivers value for patients, providers, and communities alike.

Futuro Health Scholar Spotlight

Recognizing the transferable skills he had developed throughout his banking career, Jay enrolled in the Pharmacy Technician program to pursue a more people-centered role and make a direct impact on patient care. Now a certified Pharmacy Technician, Jay is excited to provide compassionate support to members of his community while creating a stronger future for his son. “Futuro Health helped me get to this point in my career. They gave me the resources and the support that I need to get to where I’m at right now.”

The First Rung: What Community Really Builds

By: Van Ton-Quinlivan, CEO, Futuro Health

Over the past few weeks, millions of people around the world tuned in to watch the FIFA World Cup. What stayed with me wasn’t the goals or the highlight-reel moments, it was something less tangible. Hosting the tournament on U.S. soil gave many of us a reason to organize watch parties, or to gather at the nearby pub, just to experience something together. It was fun. But it was also a reminder of how much we crave community, and how quickly we build it when given a reason.

At Futuro Health, community is not a seasonal occasion, it’s the daily work. Every day, we equip Scholars with the credentials and qualifications to begin their first, or next, career in healthcare. That work only succeeds because it happens in community: staff supporting Scholars, Scholars supporting Scholars, and our employer and education partners contributing what they do best to unlock doors.

Recently, I saw another opportunity to extend that same spirit of community-building, this time through hosting college interns to work at Futuro Health. With so much noise about AI narrowing the volume of entry-level roles and watching my college-age sons undergo the daunting task of finding a first job, I realized my organization could do its part.

Our Community in Action

Staff members Francesca G., Project Manager, and Carmen C., Recruitment Outreach Coordinator, were joined by Futuro Health Scholar Ambassador Maria B., who first learned about Futuro Health through outreach at Lotus House earlier this year. Lotus House is a women's shelter serving the downtown Miami community, and Maria is now completing an internship there, supporting the women the organization serves. Her experience reflects how Futuro Health's community extends beyond the classroom, with Scholars using their education and training to support and strengthen the communities around them.

Meet Our Staff

Community is at the heart of Futuro Health's mission. Meet two team members whose work helps build and sustain the partnerships and pathways that connect more people to healthcare careers.

Carolyn Campbell, President and CEO at NorQuest College: We Are Who We Include

Many of the U.S. labor market challenges we discuss on WorkforceRx are shared by Canada, including the need for more skilled workers that are available, particularly in healthcare, skilled trades, and technology. We're going to take a look today at how the higher education sector in Canada is responding to these realities with the help of Carolyn Campbell, president and CEO of NorQuest College in Edmonton, Alberta which has developed a reputation for accessibility, innovation, and student success with enrollment growing and revenues up over fifty percent. For Campbell, the key to success has been making inclusiveness a priority. And while she notes there has been a large increase in enrollments of indigenous people at the school in recent years, she takes a broad view of that term. “The way we think about inclusiveness is this is about everybody. Like, are high school students feeling more included at NorQuest? Are our students who have been in the workforce feeling like they would be included?” In this revealing conversation with Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan, Campbell also explains the importance of staying aligned with labor market needs, providing wraparound student supports, and the surprising result of removing a $90 application fee.