Advocate Aurora Health gives $675,000 in grants to develop a diverse health care workforce
The Better Together Fund’s next recipients seek to train health care workers amidst COVID-19
Milwaukee, Wis. – Advocate Aurora Health is awarding grants to four community organizations from its Better Together Fund to help improve the health care workforce. The latest grants are part of a $2,125,000 commitment to Milwaukee projects that address social and economic needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic has aimed a spotlight on health care inequities, and the next group of grant recipients’ projects are focused on creating more diversity and inclusivity among caregivers. The grant recipients are:
- Milwaukee Jobs Work – Pathways to Healthcare Careers Program
- $200,000 to expand job skills development and tutoring programs for central Milwaukee city residents with limited work histories and significant barriers to long-term, successful employment.
- Cream City Medical Society/Milwaukee Health Services – Pipeline to Practice
- $200,000 to provide seed funding for the Physician Recruitment Scholarship Fund, a key component of the Pathways to Practice program for African American physician development.
- Wisconsin Area Health Education Center – Community Health Workers Training Program Expansion
- $200,000 to develop a virtual community health workers training program and provide one-on-one coaching/mentoring for an additional six months to further hone skills and provide career support services.
- Hispanic Collaborative – Rapid Cohort Upskilling Model
- $75,000 to recruit Latinos into a bilingual certified nursing assistant training program.
“COVID-19 has amplified the disproportionate impact illness can have on people simply because of the zip code in which they live. These programs will not only help remove barriers to a career in health care, but also create a workforce more reflective of the communities they serve, encouraging more individuals to seek care when it’s needed,” Chief External Affairs Officer Cristy Garcia-Thomas said.
The Better Together Fund is a one-time funding commitment to develop critical services in Milwaukee. Community groups from across Milwaukee were invited to submit proposals.
Five additional community programs focusing on minority business owners, education and support services have already received grants from the Better Together Fund. They include:
- Hispanic Collaborative – MercadoMKE
$250,000 to support and increase the number of Hispanic-owned businesses with an online presence and sales platform.
- African American Chamber of Commerce – RISE MKE Entrepreneurial Training Program
$250,000 to support African American-owned businesses with training and technical support to develop e-commerce business and other strategies.
- Sigma Pi Phi Beta Alpha Boulé/Marquette University Center for Peacemaking – Building Resiliency in Classroom Education
$250,000 to deliver support services for students struggling with mental health, academic and/or behavioral challenges.
- UMOS – Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Program
$125,000 to fund advocacy services for Hispanic sexual assault and domestic violence survivors.
- The Asha Project – Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Program
$125,000 to fund advocacy services for African American sexual assault and domestic violence survivors.
The Better Together Fund is managed by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
About Advocate Aurora Safe Care Promise
Health and safety is our highest priority. The Advocate Aurora Safe Care Promise provides additional measures to protect patients and our team members. In person or online, we are here to ensure safe, comfortable and convenient care, and have taken additional measures to protect patients and their families including:
- Masking – Ensuring anyone who enters our locations is wearing a mask. If they don’t have one, we’ll gladly provide it.
- Screening – Taking the temperature and asking questions about symptoms and exposure to everyone who enters our locations.
- Social distancing – Rearranging our waiting areas and staggering appointment times to reduce traffic and create safe spaces.
- Virtual check-in – Facilitating check-ins with digital devices for seamless, low-contact arrivals.
- Enhanced Cleaning – Adding additional cleaning precautions in all areas and added handwashing/sanitizer stations.
About Advocate Aurora Health
Advocate Aurora Health is one of the 10 largest not-for-profit, integrated health systems in the United States and a leading employer in the Midwest with more than 70,000 employees, including more than 22,000 nurses and the region’s largest employed medical staff and home health organization. A national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care, the system serves nearly 3 million patients annually in Illinois and Wisconsin across more than 500 sites of care. Advocate Aurora is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies and is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology and pediatrics. The organization contributed $2.2 billion in charitable care and services to its communities in 2019. We help people live well.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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