LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- COPE Health Solutions, a national health care advisory firm, is teaming up with Adventist Health Castle, a 160-bed hospital in Kailua, Hawaii, to launch its COPE Health Scholars programs. This partnership marks a groundbreaking expansion for the programs, which are currently offered in 15 hospitals and health systems throughout California and Washington. The COPE Health Scholars programs provide students with unique opportunities to experience health care firsthand in clinical and administrative settings, and prepare them for a wide range of health care careers, from medicine and nursing to allied health and health administration. Additionally, hospitals and health systems benefit from a well-trained, diverse pool of motivated individuals to consider for hire into entry-level positions as well as access to COPE Health Solutions industry experts and advisory, as needed.
At Adventist Health Castle, COPE Health Solutions will offer three COPE Health Scholars programs – a traditional, an intensive and a high school program – all launching in March 2018. The traditional program known as Health Scholar enrolls students for the full 15-18 month experience while the other program option is an eight-week intensive summer program. The goal of the intensive summer program is to accommodate students with varied needs and interests, such as attending school out-of-state. Both require Health Scholars to complete a minimum of 30 hours of training, which includes a written and practical exam. Both programs have the same requirement for completion – at least 280 hours of participation. Upon completion, Health Scholars earn a certificate in Patient Experience and Pre-Licensed Clinical Care from the University of California, Los Angeles’ (UCLA) Fielding School of Public Health. The high school program, Junior Health Scholar, matches high school students ages 16-18 with a Health Scholar in order to shadow various clinical and administrative units. The purpose of this program is to help high school students gain a better understanding of the patient care team and how care is delivered. Upon completion of 164 hours of participation, Junior Health Scholars earn a certificate in Patient Experience and Health Professions Studies from UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health.
“The Health Scholars Program aligns with our strategic plan and commitment to strengthen Windward Oahu communities. It will develop local talent and leadership from within our community to meet the ever-changing health care needs of Windward residents,” said Kathryn A. Raethel, President and CEO of Adventist Health Castle.
COPE Health Solutions offers a variety of customized Health Scholar programs for its health care facility partners, all of which position the clinical experience at the forefront of workforce development. These tailored workforce development programs include options for pre-medical students, student nurses, international students, high school students and care navigators, as well as accelerated 3- and 9-month programs.
“The Health Scholars program will connect students with entry-level hospital and health system jobs while enabling Castle to establish a sustainable, best-fit talent pipeline that reduces costly recruiting expenses,” said Todd Reese, Director of Human Resources, Adventist Health Castle. “This will also help better position us to address gaps in the workforce in the future.” As one of only two health care organizations to receive the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recently for performance excellence, this shows Adventist Health Castle’s commitment to quality and further what they hope to achieve with the program.
“The program is designed to help students find out early on if a career in health care is right for them,” said Allen Miller, CEO of COPE Health Solutions. “In nursing school and medical school, students don’t get real-life experience with patients until they are near the end of their formal education. We also focus on developing leadership skills by allowing students to take on roles that support the operations of the program such as scheduling and training.”
For students interested in a career in health care and gaining firsthand experience, more information on the COPE Health Scholars programs and application instructions for the Adventist Health Castle program can be found here: https://copehealthscholars.org/locations/kailua/.
About COPE Health Scholars
The COPE Health Scholars programs provide hands-on clinical and administrative experience in health systems and hospitals for aspiring health professionals, which in turn works to address the national health care talent crisis brought on by an aging population and the shift in health care from volume to value. After completing training and successfully passing exams, Health Scholars join the care teams and support both staff and patients with a variety of comfort care tasks, including hourly rounding, feeding patients, assisting with bathing and walking patients, as well as engaging in patient experience initiatives. A division of the business advisory firm COPE Health Solutions since 2000, the COPE Health Scholars programs now graduate about 4,500 students each year and have more than 32,000 Health Scholars alumni to date.
About COPE Health Solutions
COPE Health Solutions is a national health care business advisory firm and a leader in moving health care payors and providers to value-based payments and care models. It partners with clients to help them achieve visionary, market relevant health solutions. COPE Health Solutions’ areas of expertise and focus include all aspects of strategy, population health management, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services demonstrations, Medicaid waivers, and workforce development for clients across the health care continuum, including hospitals, health systems, physician organizations and health plans.
COPE Health Solutions’ multidisciplinary team of health care experts provides clients with the tools, services and advice they need to plan for, design, implement and support successful operations in a challenging and rapidly evolving health care environment. For more information, visit www.copehealthsolutions.com.
Media contact:
Sarita Choy
Vice President, Business Development
COPE Health Solutions
schoy@copehealthsolutions.com
(323) 270-5895