The Community Health and Workforce for the Future team is part of the strategic vision of the Scholars Academy. The team supports the following core elements of the Magnet model through programs and unique workforce development initiatives: structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, new knowledge, innovation and improvements, and empirical quality results. The work is divided into three main workstreams: the Allied Health Scholars Academy (AHSA), Academic Relations, and Community Health. The team is committed to increasing diversity and representation in our service areas.
Academic Relations
Academic Relations supports the growth and development of nursing students through strategic investments in our long-standing summer nursing internship program and the perioperative immersion program.
Community Health
Community Health supports nursing professional development and the Magnet journey by investing in nursing scholars, health care career awareness, and grant-making through the East Bay Community Foundation.
Allied Health Scholars Academy (AHSA)
The AHSA is the newest of the Scholars Academies, launched in 2022. Investment in allied health workforce development is a key support for Magnet designation as it enhances the academic preparation and professionalism of the patient care workforce. Our mission is to increase the number of qualified allied health professionals in the workforce through structures and programs that connect people with flexible career paths anchored in quality education, training, and dynamic work experience.
Academic Relations
The Main Workstreams for Academic Relations include:
- Summer Nursing Student Internship Program
- Supporting the expansion of the Perioperative Immersion Program.
In 2023, 24 nursing students from Bay Area Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs participated in the Perioperative Immersion Program. Twelve nursing students from Samuel Merritt University and 12 nursing students from California State University East Bay. The program seeks to increase exposure and provide a pipeline for nursing students interested in pursuing specialty training. Students gain valuable experience in the operating room environment, an area that is largely absent from nursing student clinical rotations. The community benefit team funds instructor time.
- Florence Stroud Black History Virtual Conference
In February 2022 and 2023, the Kaiser Permanente Nurse Scholars Academy partnered with the Bay Area Black Nurses Association to offer a virtual event celebrating Black History Month, including distinguished guest speakers, cultural performances, and essential community dialogue. We look forward to the next event which will be held on February 23, 2024.
The Main Workstreams for Community Health Include:
- Kaiser Permanente Deloras Jones RN Scholarship Program
- Exploring Careers in Health Care site: Exploring Careers in Health Care (kaiserpermanente.org)
- Grantmaking and Contributions
- Grantmaking sources include the Kaiser Permanente Fund for Health Education at the East Bay Community Foundation
- Funding explicitly supports educational opportunities to develop a health care workforce outside of Kaiser Permanente
- Historically focused on nursing, grants now expanded to mental health and allied health
- Grants and contributions include:
- Asian Health Services, an Oakland-based organization that provides primary care services, including mental health, case management, nutrition, and dental care to patients in English and 15 languages. Grant supports clinical supervisor salary and stipends for master’s level students who are bilingual/bicultural serving the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, as well as stay stipends to recruit program graduates.
- Samuel Merritt University, with a grant to expand opportunities for a diversity in the nursing workforce by supporting 10 associate degree registered nurses (ADN RNs) from safety net hospitals and/or clinics for enrollment in the university’s SMU RN-BSN program. Preference will be given for historically under-represented nurse applicants, including ethnic/racial minorities and bi-/multi-lingual individuals.
- Center for Human Services, an organization based in the Central Valley focused on mental health youth and school-based services, with a grant to build and improve access to mental health providers. The Grant supports clinical supervisor salary and stipends for master’s level students who are bilingual/bicultural serving the LatinX community, as well as stay stipends to recruit program graduates and professional development allocation.
- Mt Diablo Adult Education Surgical Technologist Program, with scholarship support for Surgical Technologist students to defray the costs of child care, transportation and/or housing