OneFuture Coachella Valley
Organization Background
OneFuture Coachella (OFCV) unifies regional efforts to increase educational attainment and career preparedness among low-income students to assure healthy and economically thriving youth, families, and communities and, simultaneously, a high-quality workforce and strong regional economy. Through the creation of a “college-going culture,” Valley leaders are strengthening the foundation of the education system in a way that will benefit the region long term. One of their areas of focus is increasing health care professionals that practice in the region.
Through its regional efforts, OFCV mobilized health professionals and employers, agencies and education systems by establishing a Healthcare Industry Council, Health Academy Lead Teachers work group and in 2018 the Behavioral Health Alignment Team. Collectively, they have developed and implemented a plan that will increase the number of disadvantaged students in underserved communities in the Coachella Valley who pursue and successfully complete college degree programs in high demand healthcare fields including primary care physicians, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, behavioral and mental health clinicians, and other professions including OBGYN. The Council identified job demand, academic requirements for pathways completion and strategies needed to expand the pool of local students pursuing and succeeding in these careers. The team provided direction on the academic majors that align with health career paths, identified key obstacles to students gaining exposure and work-based learning experience in these careers, developed strategic focus areas to address these obstacles and is launching a Health Careers Resource Point on the College & Career (C2) Navigator system.
Grants
| Year | Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $25,000 | Support towards project staffing to continue the implementation of the Physician Assistant Pipeline program. The program provides local educators with resources and guidance to integrate PA career planning into their curriculum; connect with PA professionals to increase mentorship, job shadowing, and coaching/support opportunities for students working towards a PA career; and connections with higher education partners and local employers to host students to bring them back to the Coachella Valley. |
| 2021 | $25,000 | Towards staffing the establishment of a Physician’s Assistant Pipeline targeted to serve students of color and those from low-income backgrounds. The project will provide local educators with resources and guidance to integrate PA career planning into their curriculums, connect with PA professionals to increase mentorship, job shadowing, and coaching opportunities for students working towards a PA career; and support students who have chosen to pursue a PA career path during their first year of postsecondary education. |
| 2020 | $17,500 | General operating support to provide relief during COVID-19. |
| 2019 | $25,000 | OneFuture Coachella Valley received a $25,000 grant to build upon the work of the Healthcare Industry Council, Health Academy Lead Teachers (HALT) and Behavioral Health Alignment Teams by structuring an undergraduate and post-graduate planning and navigation process beginning with high school health academies to fill a needed gap in healthcare careers including primary care, OBGYN, nursing and behavioral and mental health in the Coachella Valley. |