Communities Lifting Communities (CLC), a nonprofit affiliate of HASC, is pleased to launch the Diversity in Health Care Scholarship and Stipend Program. The program aims to help create a more diverse health workforce by providing financial assistance to students employed in HASC member hospitals. Special consideration is given to those from communities historically underrepresented in health care.
Background
Hospitals statewide urgently need talented, compassionate and diverse professionals for positions in areas including primary care, nursing, laboratory technology, administration and more. These shortages existed before the COVID-19 pandemic and have since increased. No single solution can address the many barriers to increasing the number of trained health workers, especially from underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds. However, the Diversity in Health Care Scholarship and Stipend Program aims to tackle one main identified challenge.
Goal: Help Address Financial Hurdles
A 2018 HealthForce Center at UCSF study found that one prominent barrier to increasing the number of URMs in health care is the cost, regardless of the career pathway chosen. The study indicated that URMs, who are more likely to have lower socioeconomic status, face even more pronounced financial challenges than other racial/ethnic groups.
As part of CLC’s mission to help reduce health disparities and improve community health throughout Southern California, the scholarship program aims to reduce the financial burden for students, and especially URM students, as they pursue health care careers. By helping students reach their goals and increasing health care staff diversity, this initiative will also help reduce disparities and improve outcomes for hospital patients, says CLC president Susan Harrington.
Applying for the Program
Harrington encourages health care workers and students employed by HASC member hospitals to apply. Applicants must be enrolled in programs leading to a health care degree or certificate program at accredited California academic institutions. Also, College to Career Internship Program (CDIP) participants who have been matched to a member hospital are invited to apply.
Applications will be accepted through June 14, 2023, for the fall 2023 semester. Undergraduate and graduate scholarships range from $2,500 to $3,000 and CDIP stipends are $2,000.
For More Information
To learn more about the 2023 Diversity in Health Care Scholarship Program and to apply, visit https://clcscholarships.hasc.org/. For any questions, contact [email protected].
About CLC and HASC
Communities Lifting Communities 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 have a common goal: to improve the operating environment for hospitals and the health status of the communities they serve.