Reach Out
Organization Background
Reach Out’s mission is to strengthen communities by bringing people together to solve the region’s toughest issues: breaking barriers to educational achievement, expanding economic opportunities, and creating safe, healthy, and innovative communities.
Reach Out serves as the backbone for a variety of collaboratives, including the Inland Health Professions Coalition (IHPC) which works to increase the number of health professionals in the region. The IHPC is a diverse coalition of more than 250 representatives of Inland Empire hospitals, universities, nonprofit service providers, community clinics, public agencies, school districts and technical schools and community colleges. IHPC administers culturally relevant, trauma-informed programs that encourage careers in the health professions among underrepresented minorities and improve their admission and retention rates in health professional schools and training programs through workforce development, education, and outreach. The programs work to build a health professions pipeline to address the critical shortage of diverse health professionals and improve economic outcomes for the Inland Region.
Additionally, the IHPC provides resources for students to learn about training and career development opportunities in healthcare such as allied health, behavioral/mental health, primary care, and public health. Some resources the Inland Health Professions Coalition provides include work-based learning opportunities (job shadowing, mentorship, mock interviews, and internships), and regional health workforce collaborative groups, as well as facilitating annual conferences and workshops on health career education.
Grants
| Year | Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $25,000 | Support towards planning and execution of their annual 2023 Health Professions Conference, as well as stipends for students who complete the White Coat program. Through the conference, students will experience interactive workshops exploring various health careers, they learn about health workforce needs and solutions of the IE, along with actionable steps to get connected to diverse career options to prepare for a future in healthcare. The White Coat Program is a 40-hour internship that has students work side-by-side with a medical professional. |
| 2021 | $25,000 | Towards the LIFE Program that provides students with internships and hands-on experience in professional healthcare settings to encourage their pursuit of careers in the field. An equity lens will be introduced into recruitment strategies to ensure Black and Brown youth are well-represented. Also, the grant will be used towards building the mental health support system for youth and training them on the importance of mental health for healthcare workers. This is especially important considering the mental health challenges experienced during the pandemic. |
| 2020 | $25,000 | General operating support to provide relief during COVID-19. |
| 2019 | $30,000 | Inland Health Professionals Coalition LIFE Program |
| 2018 | $30,000 | The LIFE (Learning Inspired Field Experience) Program was developed for students in the Inland Region who wish to plan now, live well, and serve in the IE. It gives students paid internships that provide hands-on experience in health settings. Paid internships open opportunities for low income and underserved students who often cannot afford to take on unpaid internships. This will allow them to have more equitable opportunity to engage fully in the internship experience, and beyond. |
| 2017 | $25,000 | Inland Health Professionals Coalition |