President Cites Atlanta BeltLine Workforce Partnership in Healthcare as National Model
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) July 24, 2014 -- In signing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act on Tuesday, President Obama cited the Atlanta BeltLine Workforce Partnership in Healthcare as one of 35 model programs from across the country (http://www.whitehouse.gov/ready-to-work ). The Administration called for job-driven training as an essential pillar of U.S. economic strategy and profiled successful local efforts to be replicated nationally.
“This recognition from President Obama highlights the power of partnerships in Atlanta,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “The work of the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership on this job training and placement program is as transformative as the BeltLine itself and speaks directly to our ability to bring people together to create new opportunities for our citizens.”
“We are honored that the Atlanta BeltLine Workforce Partnership in Healthcare is being cited as a national model,” said Atlanta BeltLine Partnership Interim Executive Director Rob Brawner. “The Atlanta BeltLine Partnership is fortunate to be collaborating with Atlanta CareerRise, Grady Health System and other terrific partners in this important endeavor.”
The Atlanta BeltLine Workforce Partnership in Healthcare is providing participants with the job readiness training, technical training, and coaching support required to secure full-time, entry-level healthcare employment as the first step towards a healthcare career. The innovative, employer-focused program combines the complementary strengths of New Hope Enterprises, The Center for Working Families, Inc., and Atlanta Technical College to prepare unemployed people in Atlanta BeltLine neighborhoods for entry into clinical and administrative careers at Grady.
The program was initiated with a planning investment from Atlanta CareerRise in spring 2013, followed by an implementation investment in December 2013 to support the launch of a pilot program. Additional program support has been provided by the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency and the Georgia Department of Labor. Atlanta CareerRise renewed its implementation support in April 2014, and applications are now being accepted for a second 40-person cohort to begin training on August 22.
“This healthcare industry partnership exemplifies the model of workforce development CareerRise and its funders are championing in metro Atlanta” said Cinda Herndon-King, Director of Atlanta CareerRise. “The best employment outcomes for both participants and employers result when there is deep employer engagement, seamlessly aligned services and a detailed knowledge of the issues surrounding the sector and the frontline worker.”
“For Grady, the Atlanta BeltLine Workforce Partnership in Healthcare is a natural extension of our commitment to making Atlanta a healthy and productive city. We have gained well-trained, energetic new employees who now have the opportunity to continue their career development at one of the country’s leading academic medical centers. This truly is a win-win for everyone,” said Clay England, Executive Director, Human Resources, Grady Health System.
Atlantans served by this program are typically unemployed. About 40 percent of the first group – a third of whom were homeless at some point in their lives – has minor children. Participants receive healthcare benefits through support of Kaiser Permanente to New Hope Enterprises. More information about the program – including how to apply for the next cohort – can be found at http://www.beltline.org/careers-in-healthcare.
About the Atlanta BeltLine
The Atlanta BeltLine is the most comprehensive transportation and economic development effort ever undertaken in the City of Atlanta and among the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs currently underway in the United States. The Atlanta BeltLine is a sustainable redevelopment project that will provide a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor circling downtown and connecting many neighborhoods directly to each other. Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) is the entity tasked with planning and executing the implementation of the Atlanta BeltLine in partnership with other public and private organizations, including City of Atlanta departments. For more information on the Atlanta BeltLine, please visit http://www.beltline.org.
About the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership
The Atlanta BeltLine Partnership (ABLP) is a non-profit organization committed to raising funds from private and philanthropic sources to support the Atlanta BeltLine, working with the community and partners to raise general awareness and support, and serving as a catalyst to mobilize resources to achieve the positive social impacts of the Atlanta BeltLine vision. For more information on the Atlanta BeltLine, please visit http://www.BeltLine.org.
About Atlanta CareerRise
Atlanta CareerRise, regional funders collaborative managed by the United Way of Greater Atlanta and supported by investments from the National Fund for Workforce Solutions and eight local funding partners, implements a nationally-recognized model of workforce development in the 13-county Greater Atlanta region. Atlanta CareerRise benefits the community, employers and the underemployed by creating employer-led workforce partnerships to train employees and applicants for middle-skill careers in high-growth industries. For more information,visit http://www.atlantacareerrise.org.
About Grady Health System
Grady Health System is one of the largest safety net health systems in the United States. Grady consists of the 953-bed Grady Memorial Hospital, six neighborhood health centers, Crestview Health & Rehabilitation Center, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding, which is operated as a Children's affiliate.
With its nationally acclaimed emergency medical services, Grady has the premier level I trauma center in the Metro Atlanta region and serves as the 911 ambulance provider for the city of Atlanta. Grady’s American Burn Association/American College of Surgeons verified Burn Center is one of only two in the state. And the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center is a Joint Commission designated Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center.
Other key services include Georgia’s first Cancer Center for Excellence, The Avon Breast Health Center, the Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, and the Ponce de Leon Center - one of the top three HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics in the country. Grady’s Regional Perinatal Center with its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the Primary Care Center and the Rape Crisis Center are also notable components of the health system. The state's only Poison Center is housed at Grady as well.
In 2014 Hospitals & Health Networks Magazine again named Grady one of the country's Most Wired health systems. Grady’s Heart Failure Clinic received the 2013 Gage Award for Improving Quality from America’s Essential Hospitals.
###
Jennifer Jezyk, HL Strategy, +1 (404) 483-8150, [email protected]
Share this article