From high school to health care: New BNHC program makes it possible

BROCKTON — Brockton Neighborhood Health Center is joining with the Cape Verdean Association and Haitian Community Partners to create a program that will offer healthcare education to Brockton High School students and other city  youth, and then provide them the opportunity to launch a career in health care. The goal of the program is to improve health and raise life expectancy in Brockton. A $500,000 grant from the Atrius Health Equity Foundation is making this life-changing program possible.

Maria Celli, Deputy CEO at BNHC, said the Atrius grant program will give Brockton students a head start in a health care career.

Called the “Hometown Healthcare Academy,” the program will offer the education, support and professional training BHS students will need to pursue healthcare positions such as Dental Assistant, Medical Assistant, Community Health Worker, and Medical Interpreter through paid academic and practical training, including on-site work at BNHC.

“This is an awesome project,” said Maria Celli, deputy CEO at BNHC. “We are so grateful for the Atrius Foundation’s generous and strategic investment in the Brockton community, and are thrilled to be co-creating a program with Haitian Community Partners and the Cape Verdean Association that will cultivate holistic, supported health care practitioners, leaders and change agents of tomorrow.”

Dr. Ann Hwang, president of Atrius Health Equity Foundation, said Atrius created the program based on “the Foundation’s belief that we must all come together to ensure everyone in Eastern Massachusetts lives a longer, healthier life.”

The award from Atrius is part of their “Youth as Health Care Change Agents” grant program, an initiative that funds community organizations in Eastern Massachusetts to support youth in their full potential as health educators, navigators, health care professionals and community health advocates. The Foundation’s goal is to expand life expectancy by addressing health inequities in communities such as Brockton, and to tap the potential of youth, ages 12 to 24, to improve the health of their communities.

BNHC, which will lead the program, is among eight awardees selected through a highly competitive and rigorous selection process shaped by community input. Founded in 1992, BNHC provides comprehensive care for 39,000 patients annually in Greater Brockton.

The Brockton program will have two components for the high school students, the first focusing on health education and leadership, and the second on workforce training for those interested in a health care career. Up to 25 students each year who have completed the first component will be selected to pursue programs through BNHC to become dental assistants, medical assistants, community health workers, and medical interpreters. Brockton’s Cape Verdean Association (CVA) and Haitian Community Partners (HCP) will help to conduct conferences and recruit candidates from their organizations. BNHC will cover the cost of the courses, provide on-site training, and give stipends to cover the costs of books and technology.

“The Atrius Foundation heard directly from community leaders in 2023 that economic mobility, educational opportunity, and youth as a population of focus are important to close the life expectancy gap,” said Dr. Ann Hwang, Atrius president. “As a result of this community engagement and the Foundation’s belief that we must all come together to ensure everyone in Eastern Massachusetts lives a longer, healthier life, we created this grant program.”

Upon completion of training, students will do rotations and practicums at BNHC to acquire certification in at least one of the programs. BNHC will hire an estimated 10 new professionals from the career training program, and provide $1,000 recruitment bonuses for each student hired.

“Haitian Community Partners Foundation is deeply grateful for the Atrius Foundation’s investment in the Brockton community,” said HCP President Marline Amedee. “This grant provides an invaluable opportunity for us to continue bridging gaps and promoting health equity. By educating our youth to become leaders and change agents, we aim to inspire the next generation.”

The president of the Brockton Cape Verdean Association, Moises Rodrigues, understands the potential the program has in improving health care across the city. “This is the exact type of program that can benefit Brockton, while also benefiting Brockton’s youth and giving many of them tremendous access to a career in health care,” he said. “We’re thrilled to be a part of it.”

To learn more about the Atrius “Youth As Health Care Change Agents” program, visit: https://www.atriusfoundation.org/youthchange