October 12, 2023 3:50 a.m.
Umpqua Community College has a new program stemming from a partnership between the college and Aviva Health.
A UCC release said it comes with funding from a grant of just over $1 million dollars from the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission and will empower students interested in health care careers while addressing the need for local health care workers.
The grant-funded program will provide tuition assistance and guaranteed employment upon completion for 24 students enrolled in one of UCC’s Allied Health curriculum programs over the course of three years. In addition to covering tuition, the HECC grant will award a $1,500 stipend to each student annually to cover housing and personal expenses.
The release said program participants will experience work-based learning in the health care discipline they choose and be guaranteed employment with Aviva Health upon completion. The program uses the “Earn to Learn” model, which allows students to prove themselves as skilled health care workers by utilizing both classroom learning and actual experience.
Leadership from UCC and Aviva Health developed the program as part of a strategic partnership to help local students achieve their career goals, while simultaneously meeting the demands of healthcare in Douglas County, where a shortage of health workers has become a major challenge for the community in recent years.
UCC President Rachel Pokrandt said, “The grant money we received not only covers the cost of education but sets the student up for their future career”. Pokrandt said,
“The partnership with Aviva will provide the pathway for students to have an excellent opportunity to secure a family supporting-wage job, and it will provide a direct benefit to our community by expanding much-needed healthcare services”. Pokrandt said its critical in small communities to partner in order to serve local needs.
Aviva Health CEO KC Bolton said, “This program will bring much needed medical workforce into our community as trained medical professionals join our local staff”. Bolton said he looks at this as the start of a new beginning for community health in the region, as more rural community members are trained so they can become culturally informed providers.
The average salary for careers in allied health is $45 an hour, or $90,000 annually, according to Lightcast Data.