FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alameda Health System Receives Linked Learning Champion Employer Award
Hundreds of students receive experiential training through the AHS HealthPATH program
Oakland, Calif. – March 20, 2019 – Alameda Health System (AHS) received the Linked Learning Employer Champion Award from the Linked Learning Alliance. The award recognizes AHS HealthPATH; the workforce development initiative of AHS that prepares youth and young adults for healthcare careers.
AHS received the award today at the 2019 Linked Learning Convention. It is given to employers that have shown extraordinary leadership and demonstrated support for the Linked Learning movement by providing career learning opportunities to students.
“We are thrilled to honor Alameda Health System with the Linked Learning Employer Champion award. Through their partnership forged with the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), low-income students of color are getting authentic work-based learning experiences that will improve their educational and employment outcomes,” said Anne B. Stanton, president of the Linked Learning Alliance. “By sharing lessons learned from this systemic cross-sector partnership, Alameda Health System is an exemplar for other industry leaders that want to improve their communities and build a pipeline of highly skilled employees.”
Linked Learning, organized around industry-sectors, integrates rigorous academics that meet college-ready standards with sequenced, high-quality career-technical education and work-based learning to help students stay on track. It exposes students to previously unimagined college and career opportunities by turning their education into a personally relevant, engaging experience. Research shows that Linked Learning students have higher rates of engagement and higher graduation rates than their peers at traditional high schools.
“As an anchor institution, we recognize that the social determinants of health – including education and employment, play a greater role in the overall wellness of individuals than the health care provided in our clinics and hospitals,” said Delvecchio Finley, CEO of AHS. “For those reasons, it is critically important that students from disadvantaged and challenging backgrounds, neighborhoods and communities are exposed to Linked Learning that can put them on paths for careers in health care.”
HealthPATH was launched in 2015 as a partnership with OUSD. Nearly 1,200 students have participated in the program – 87% from the district.
HealthPATH has grown significantly from its start in 2015 when it offered 80 internships each year. Now, nearly 400 students participate in the program, five times more than the initial offerings.
“Being headquartered in Oakland we are very happy to partner with OUSD to develop our future leaders. We are excited to receive this award and be a part of the Linked Learning movement,” said Jessica Pitt, executive director of AHS HealthPATH.
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Terry Lightfoot
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510-437-8479