Healthcare Industry Consortium Spotlights Future Ready Oregon Grant-Funded Strategies for Recruiting and Developing Talent
Did you know that the Higher Education Coordinating Commission’s (HECC’s) Future Ready Oregon Workforce Ready Grants, which were awarded across three competitive funding rounds from 2022-2024, included awards for 50 healthcare projects? The 2023 round included an additional four awards for projects that serve both the healthcare and manufacturing and/or technology sectors.
In this issue, we are pleased to share implementation updates from two of these projects. United We Heal’s Building Bridges program and Western Oregon University’s Bilingual Behavioral Health Professionals Initiative were featured at recent public meetings of the Healthcare Industry Consortium. Together, they illustrate the value of collaborating with partners to remove barriers to education and training for underserved learners, preparing them for in-demand healthcare jobs.
Keep reading to learn more about these projects, and to find the latest updates on upcoming public meetings and recent activities of the Industry Consortia.
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Workforce Ready Grant Supports Training Partnership Between United We Heal, AFSCME Local 328, OHSU, and Community Partners
United We Heal (UWH) — a labor-management training partnership between AFSCME members and healthcare employers — is collaborating with AFSCME Local 328 and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to offer Oregonians more pathways to healthcare careers. Thanks to a 2023 Workforce Ready Grant awarded to UWH, together these partners have launched “Building Bridges to Healthcare Careers: Enhancing Opportunities for Underrepresented Communities,” a training and certification program that prepares participants for an entry-level career as a certified nursing assistant (CNA), dental assistant, medical assistant, or phlebotomist.
AFSCME Local 328 and OHSU’s established partnership is foundational to Building Bridges. Through UWH, labor and management have worked together closely on program design, implementation, and effective problem-solving, advancing a shared goal of training and retaining skilled employees. “This training partnership is strengthened by the long-term relationship between labor and management—collaborating to resolve all manner of workplace concerns,” said UWH Executive Director Andrew Friedman. He continued, “Through years of negotiating union contracts, resolving workplace grievances, and participating in workplace committees, the union and management are experienced in focusing on the needs of workers and meeting those needs in the context of the operational needs of the employer. Everyone has experience raising their needs and listening and responding to the needs of others. This experience carries over to their involvement in this training partnership, ensuring strong collaboration experience from the outset.”
This collaboration involves working together and with community partners to remove barriers to participation, beginning with recruitment and continuing through job placement. Building Bridges is open to anyone, and UWH partners with community-based organization Unite Oregon to conduct outreach to communities of color and low-income communities throughout the Portland-Metro area. The Future Ready Oregon funding makes it possible for participants to complete the training and certification for free through OHSU and, in the case of the CNA program, through Mt. Hood Community College. Needs-based funding is also available for participants to help with expenses related to rent, transportation, utilities, and groceries. “This allows participants to stay in the program without financial stressors that can come up,” said Haley Coupe, Behavioral Health Career Pathways supervisor for UWH. Participants also benefit from access to the university’s and AFSCME Local 328’s established systems for onboarding, networking, and supporting students in their transition from education to career. In addition, students complete their paid clinical experience at OHSU. Those who successfully complete the program and apply for available OHSU jobs in their program field receive priority consideration.
UWH initially set out to recruit 83 participants between the program’s launch in 2023 and the grant’s conclusion in 2026. Over 1,400 individuals have applied to date, and UWH is ahead of schedule, with 69 participants having been admitted. Of these, 39 have successfully completed the program, and 26 are progressing towards completion.
Interested in hearing what participants think of the program? Check out UWH’s video featuring representatives of the first cohort of Building Bridges graduates! Applications for the next two cohorts open this October. Visit the program page and see OHSU’s story for more information.
Western Oregon University and Partners Prepare Students for Behavioral Health Careers Through Future Ready Oregon Award
With the support of a 2024 Workforce Ready Grant from the HECC, Western Oregon University (WOU), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, is preparing more Spanish-speaking students for behavioral health careers. WOU’s Bilingual Behavioral Health Initiative addresses the need for Spanish-speaking counselors in Oregon* by connecting students with culturally informed, career-connected education and training, including select courses in Spanish, as well as financial aid and wraparound supports.
Chemeketa Community College, Marion County, and community-based organization Interface Network are key partners in this initiative. Together with WOU, they ensure students learn from experienced professionals with similar cultural and/or academic backgrounds who can share firsthand knowledge about working in Spanish-speaking communities. This fosters a sense of belonging among students, helping to sustain their interest in the career field.
The Future Ready Oregon funding enables WOU and its partners to help students advance from community college through undergraduate and graduate programs in preparation for a variety of behavioral health jobs. Behavioral Health students at Chemeketa Community College receive advising and support through the transition process as they complete their Associate of Applied Science degree. Graduates of this program can work as Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors or Quality Mental Health Associates, and many will transfer to WOU. WOU seniors are eligible to apply for a paid “earn-to-learn” work experience in Marion County under the guidance of a licensed counselor, which prepares them to be certified as a Qualified Mental Health Associate. Graduates can then advance to graduate programs at WOU or elsewhere before completing their postgraduate clinical supervision hours with OYEN Emotional Wellness Center, which provides Latino, bilingual, and bicultural mental health services.
Interface Network provides students cultural-competency training and wraparound supports to meet basic needs, such as transportation, housing, and access to technology. In addition, WOU offers scholarships to help with tuition. By providing financial aid and support for basic needs—services made possible through the Future Ready Oregon grant—Interface and WOU are helping to ensure students succeed in completing their education, ready to join the workforce and help their communities.
The program launched earlier this year. So far, WOU has recruited 18 bilingual students for its master’s degree in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, and 12 WOU seniors are working with Marion County under a licensed counselor. WOU anticipates supporting a total of approximately 24 graduate students and over 40 undergraduates by the program’s completion in June 2026. “As a clinician for 25 years working alongside our Latino community members and other service providers, I know firsthand the benefit of working with clients in their preferred language,” said Carlos Texidor Maldonado, Ph.D., assistant professor in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling at WOU. “It is thrilling that Oregon, particularly Western Oregon University, is purposefully training more bilingual counselors and behavioral health professionals to meet the increasing needs of our communities.”
Read more about this initiative in WOU’s press release.
*According to the 2025 Oregon Behavioral Health Talent Assessment, prepared by Advocates for Human Potential and commissioned by the HECC, 32 of Oregon’s 36 counties lack even one behavioral health provider per 1,000 residents (p. 20). Moreover, “shortages of bilingual providers and culturally responsive services exacerbate accessibility issues for diverse populations, particularly in rural areas” (p. 22).
News From the Industry Consortia
Mark Your Calendars: Fourth-Quarter Public Meetings
The Consortia are gearing up for their fourth-quarter public meetings of 2025. Mark your calendars and subscribe to HECC’s Industry Consortia public meeting notices for the latest updates on meeting materials, times, and locations.
- Tuesday, September 23: Healthcare Consortium (location TBD – to be held outside the Portland/Salem area)
- Tuesday, October 14: Manufacturing Consortium (location TBD)
- Wednesday, November 5: Technology Consortium (location TBD)
These meetings will be held in person with the option to listen online. All quarterly meetings are open to the public to attend.
Occupation and Wage Profiles Coming Soon
Beginning in fall 2024, the Industry Consortia have participated in informing the development of occupation and wage profiles for high-skill, high-wage, high-demand jobs in Oregon’s healthcare, manufacturing, and technology sectors. Prepared by HECC staff in collaboration with the Oregon Employment Department, the profiles fulfill expectations of HECC’s Industry Consortia detailed in House Bill 3306 (2023). More information is coming soon!
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