About the Campaign
Communities Lifting Communities (CLC), a nonprofit initiative of the Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC), is pleased to launch the fundraising campaign for the Diversity in Health Care Scholarship and Stipend Fund. The fund’s goal is to help create a more diverse hospital workforce by providing financial assistance to students currently employed in HASC member hospitals, with special consideration for those from communities traditionally underrepresented in the field.
Statewide, hospitals have an urgent need for talented, compassionate and diverse professionals for positions in primary care, nursing, laboratory technology, administration and many other positions. These shortages existed before the COVID-19 global pandemic and have since intensified. While no single solution can address all of the multifaceted barriers to increasing the number of trained health professionals, especially from underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds, the Diversity in Health Care Scholarship and Stipend Fund aims to tackle one of the main identified challenges.
Goal: Help Address Financial Hurdles
According to a 2018 HealthForce Center at UCSF study, one prominent barrier to increasing the number of URMs in health care is the monetary cost, regardless of the career program or pathway chosen. The study indicates that financial challenges are even more pronounced for URMs than for other racial/ethnic groups, as they are more likely to have lower socioeconomic status.[1]
CLC received official recognition as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2021. As part of CLC’s mission to help reduce health disparities and improve community health throughout Southern California, the scholarship fund offers an opportunity to reduce the financial burden experienced by students, and especially URM students, as they pursue careers in health care. By assisting students in reaching their goals, and increasing the diversity of health care staff, this initiative will also help reduce disparities and improve outcomes for hospitalized patients, says Susan Harrington, president of CLC.
HASC is proud to partner with CLC in changing the health care landscape by breaking down financial barriers to education. This initiative also will benefit HASC member hospitals by assisting workers in attaining professional skills, knowledge and expertise needed to fill the critical hospital vacancies, explains Teri Hollingsworth, the association’s vice president of human resources and education services.
How to Donate
To assist in this effort, a donation webpage has been created at https://communities.hasc.org/donate. In 2023, the program will award scholarships and stipends ranging from $2,000 to $3,000. A donation in any amount is an investment that will help create access to career pathways in health care and a more diverse, inclusive workforce.
For more information about the CLC Diversity in Health Care Scholarship fund, contact Teri Hollingsworth, HASC vice president of human resources and education, at [email protected] or (310) 245-1114.
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Communities Lifting Communities (CLC) received official recognition as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2021. Donations to CLC (EIN 85-3745993) are tax-deductible to the full extent allowable by law. Your gift to support the organization’s work will make a difference in achieving health equity and well-being for Southern Californians.
The Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC), founded in 1923, is a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) regional trade association. HASC is dedicated to effectively advancing the interests of hospitals in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. We comprise more than 176 member hospitals and 31 health systems, plus numerous related professional associations and associate members, all with a common goal: to improve the operating environment for hospitals and the health status of the communities they serve.
[1] Page 6, “Breaking Barriers for Underrepresented Minorities in the Health Professions,” UCSF HealthForce