Alabama
Alabama community health workers graduate from Prosper’s Path to Wellness initiative – Alabama NewsCenter
Fourteen neighborhood well being employees from the Birmingham space have graduated from the newly launched Path to Wellness initiative, which is creating job alternatives for traditionally marginalized candidates and including wanted sources into the native healthcare ranks.
The commencement, held at Innovation Depot in Birmingham, was the end result of a four-month program aimed toward transferring contributors into living-wage jobs within the well being care neighborhood.
Path to Wellness is an initiative of Prosper, a Birmingham-based coalition of neighborhood, civic and enterprise leaders dedicated to making a extra vibrant, racially and gender inclusive financial system. Alabama Energy CEO Mark Crosswhite is chairman of the Prosper board of administrators.
Prosper joined forces with healthcare employers, together with UAB, Cooper Inexperienced hospital, Viva Well being, Acclinate, ConnectionHealth and Reside HealthSmart Alabama to launch the Path to Wellness Neighborhood Well being Employee pilot program in April. In extra partnerships with Innovate Birmingham, ThinkData Options and HealthOpX, the Path to Wellness program offered unemployed or underemployed individuals a strategy to earn cash whereas studying and serving the neighborhood with the mission of working to construct a more healthy neighborhood.
“This system was designed to assist the contributors in a well-rounded approach,” mentioned Denita Bearden, director of operations at Innovate Birmingham. “We perceive there are boundaries in our neighborhood that we should tackle so as to actually present the chance for fulfillment.”
Path to Wellness neighborhood well being employees acquired a $500 coaching stipend and can obtain a $500 completion stipend. In addition they acquired and $18-an-hour wage, month-to-month medical insurance stipend, free coaching in digital abilities {and professional} growth. Further advantages included interviews with employers who had been prepared to rent, and profession teaching.
“Whereas working part-time with our employer companions, contributors had been capable of obtain direct monetary assist for payments equivalent to lease, childcare and utilities,” Bearden mentioned. “Helping them in these areas allowed them to focus on finishing the opposite necessities of this system with out worrying about how one can afford their payments.”
The everlasting career-advancement alternatives of lots of the graduates had been introduced on the commencement.
“My expertise assembly new individuals, networking, studying new ideas, and having the ability to apply neighborhood well being work throughout this system, and eternally, is priceless!” mentioned Karis Steele, a Path to Wellness graduate.
“Path to Wellness helps to bridge the gaps in our neighborhood round well being, wealth and wholeness,” mentioned Dee Manyama, Prosper’s initiative director. “We’re hoping to not solely raise our neighbors, however contributors towards higher alternatives for themselves and their households.”
Prosper CEO J.W. Carpenter, graduate Bakari Thompson, and John Forrest and Joanice Thompson, each of Acclinate. (Contributed)
Prosper CEO J.W. Carpenter, graduate Donna Densmore and TaWanda Baker of Cooper Inexperienced Mercy Well being Providers (Contributed)
Prosper CEO J.W. Carpenter, graduate Isaac Mondy and Kimberly Speights of Reside HealthSmart Alabama (Contributed)
Prosper CEO J.W. Carpenter, graduate Jessica Baker and John Brown of Viva Well being (Contributed)
Prosper CEO J.W. Carpenter, graduate Jonnera Brown and TaWanda Baker of Cooper Inexperienced Mercy Well being Providers (Contributed)
Prosper CEO J.W. Carpenter, graduate Morgan Freeman, John Forrest and Joanice Thompson, each of Acclinate (Contributed)
Prosper CEO J.W. Carpenter, graduate Karis Steele, Trinita Ashford of ConnectionHealth and Monique Houser of ConnectionHealth (Contributed)
Prosper CEO J.W. Carpenter, graduate Karen Wadlington, Trinita Ashford, government director of ConnectionHealth, and Monique Houser of ConnectionHealth. (Contributed)
CEO J.W. Carpenter, graduate Onetha Jones and TaWanda Baker of Cooper Inexperienced Mercy Well being Providers (Contributed)
Graduate Karis Steele and Prosper Communications Director Angela Abdur-Rasheed. (Contributed)
Prosper CEO J.W. Carpenter, graduate Tamika Hatcher and John Brown of Viva Well being (Contributed)
Pathway to Wellness graduate Sydney Taylor (Contributed)
The Path to Wellness graduates had been Jessica Baker, Jonnera Brown, Alondra Crear, Donna Densmore, Morgan Freeman, Tamika Hatcher, Onetha Jones, Isaac Mondy, Amauri Pettaway, Alexis Reeves, Karis Steele, Sydney Taylor, Bakari Thompson and Karen Wadlington. The next graduates had been supplied full-time employment:
- Jessica Baker, FirstSource, medical enrollment specialist.
- Alondra Crear, Protecting, customer support consultant.
- Donna Densmore, Alethia Home, neighborhood well being employee.
- Onetha Jones, Cooper Inexperienced Mercy Well being Providers, affected person encounter specialist.
- Alexis Reeves, UAB, medical analysis information coordinator.
- Karis Steele, buyer care coordinator.
- Karen Wadlington, ConnectionHealth, neighborhood well being employee.
For extra details about Prosper’s Path to Wellness Neighborhood Well being Employees initiative, contact Angela Abdur-Rasheed at [email protected].