Bloomberg Workforce Initiative Connects Health Systems, Public Education
Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced a $250 million initiative to partner with health and education systems to create 10 new high schools around the nation that will graduate students directly into high-demand healthcare jobs.
The initiative pairs public education systems and hospitals in 10 communities. The schools will collectively serve nearly 6,000 students at full capacity.
Bloomberg said that each school, whether newly established through this initiative or a revamp of an existing school, will offer students robust academic programming, specialized healthcare classes, work-based learning at the partner health system and the opportunity to earn industry-valued credentials and certifications.
Immediately upon graduation, students can enter healthcare jobs within the partner healthcare system or choose to advance their healthcare career through post-secondary education. As part of this initiative, all health system partners have committed to providing job opportunities for students who successfully complete the graduation requirements of their respective programs. Positions students might fill include radiology technician or respiratory therapist.
“For too long, our education system has failed to prepare students for good jobs in high-growth industries,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P. and former mayor of New York City, in a statement. “By combining classroom learning with hands-on experience, these specialized healthcare high schools will prepare students for careers with opportunities for growth and advancement. America needs more healthcare workers, and we need a stronger, larger middle-class — and this is a way to help accomplish both goals.”
The inaugural partnerships between health and education systems around the country will be:
Boston, MA:
Healthcare Partner – Mass General Brigham
Education Partner – Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (Horace Mann charter schools, Boston Public Schools)
Charlotte, NC:
Healthcare Partner – Atrium Health
Education Partner – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Dallas, TX:
Healthcare Partner – Baylor Scott & White Health
Education Partner – Uplift Education
Durham, NC:
Healthcare Partner – Duke Health
Education Partner – Durham Public Schools
Houston, TX:
Healthcare Partner – Memorial Hermann Health System
Education Partner – Aldine Independent School District
Nashville, TN:
Healthcare Partners – HCA Healthcare TriStar, Vanderbilt Health, Ascension, National HealthCare Corporation
Education Partner – Nurses Middle College
Northeast TN:
Healthcare Partner – Ballad Health
Education Partner – Northeast TN Public Schools (six sites)
New York, NY:
Healthcare Partner – Northwell Health
Education Partner – New York City Public Schools
Philadelphia, PA:
Healthcare Partner – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Education Partner – Mastery Schools
Demopolis, AL:
Healthcare Partners – University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System and other state health systems and hospitals
Education Partner – State of Alabama (Contingent upon state funding)
Each school will provide traditional academic programming, as well as specialized healthcare classes co-taught by health system employees using co-designed curriculum. Northeast Tennessee will use a hybrid virtual and in-person program across six school sites in rural communities.
Students will also engage in immersive work-based learning at the partner healthcare system. In ninth and tenth grades, students will participate in job-shadowing and practice their skills in simulation labs; starting in eleventh grade, students will have access to paid healthcare internships and professional mentoring, among other work-based learning experiences. Schools in Boston, Charlotte, Dallas and Houston will open in 2024, while the rest will open through 2026.
All students will have the opportunity to earn industry-valued credentials, certifications and college credits while in high school, enabling students to graduate with the choice of going straight into work at the partner health system and/or continuing their education – full or part-time – to enhance their preparation for a healthcare career.
If they choose to go directly into work, hospital partners have committed to subsidizing the tuition for students’ ongoing part-time or full-time education.
“As healthcare providers continue to face persistent labor challenges, it is crucial that we develop innovative partnerships to respond to the challenges of today and invest in the healthcare leaders of tomorrow. Moreover, our work to dismantle generational health inequities depends on our ability to recruit, retain and support a diverse, culturally competent and highly skilled workforce,” said Anne Klibanski, M.D., president and CEO of Boston-based Mass General Brigham, in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to Bloomberg Philanthropies for their transformational support that will allow us to dramatically increase the impact of our proven partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers and for our continued collaboration with Mayor Wu, the City of Boston and Boston Public Schools. We are excited about the tremendous impact this expansion will have on our current and future workforce and the surrounding community.”
